The Electus Series Part 1: Paths Of Destiny
by Hannah554
Summary: AU, The fate of humanity hangs in the balance as Elizabeth and Teyla find themselves on opposite sides of a war but it's only when they come together that the human race can be saved. JohnLiz RononTeyla CarsonLaura.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: So I've finally managed to post this story, I wanted to completely plan it out before I started posting it but it's finally here. I hope you all enjoy it and thanks to Steph for the beta.**

**The link to the trailer for this story can be found on my profile page.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Atlantis or any of it's characters

The Electus Series – Part 1 – Paths Of Destiny.

Chapter 1

The outer planet of Corlain was nothing special, like most other outer planets the main settlement had built up around the space dock and there were several other smaller settlements scattered across the planet. It was one of the more beautiful, friendlier outer planets but there was nothing that really distinguished it from the others. So no one would have ever guessed that this planet was home to something of such great importance. Something that some people would kill to protect and others would kill to destroy.

Tenal Vaseran had spent most of his life on Corlain having been sent there when he was just 20 years old. The last twenty three years of his life had been spent avoiding contact with people and guarding what would one day save the entire human race from destruction. Doing so had meant that he'd had to live away from people and keep social contact to a minimum. He lived in a small house that was separate from all the villages and towns and isolated by the forest that surrounded it. It wasn't much but was where he had been instructed to live 23 years ago.

That was the day he had been give two children to take care of, to protect until the day they would be called upon to do their duty. Although the children were of no blood relation to each other they had both been removed from their homes and brought to him. They may not have shared DNA but what they did share was more important, a destiny neither was aware of but he knew the time for it to begin was coming.

He looked at the two girls themselves, both now twenty three years old. Elizabeth was the older of the two, she had been six months old when she had been brought to him. She had dark brown hair that reached just below her shoulders and made her emerald green eyes stand out. Teyla had only been a few weeks old when she had arrived, she had light brown hair which also reached just below her shoulders and deep brown eyes that held a look of such curiosity and wonder.

They were both beautiful girls inside as well as out, so full of love and compassion and so blissfully unaware of what fate had in store for them.. That was they way he had decided he wanted it to be, they had grown up knowing they were adopted but having a happy, healthy and most importantly normal childhood. He wondered now if he had done the right thing keeping their destiny from them because now they were unprepared for it. He knew he had to tell them and it was now or never, he had a feeling their destiny was rapidly approaching.

He looked at them both as they sat together on the couch talking excitedly about the upcoming festival in the main city. The two of them had grown up incredibly close and he was so proud of both of them though he knew he should have kept an emotional distance from them.

He was about to draw breath to tell them the truth when the front door to their house crashed open and several armed men stormed in. The uniforms they were wearing and the manner in which they entered the house immediately told him they weren't the good guys and that it was too late, Elizabeth and Teyla would have to face their destiny unaware.

"Elizabeth, Teyla, get out of here" he instructed and he could feel their hesitation to leave him. "Go!" he shouted and waited as the two girls turned and ran from the room. He looked back at the men entering the room, there were so many of them and he knew there was nothing he could do but buy the girls time to run as far as they could.

The last man who walked into the room was not in uniform like the others but he wore something similar. The lack of uniform meant he was not simply another soldier but a commander, a commander of the Vernai Army. His cold brown eyes searched the room before resting on Tenal.

"Where are they old mad?" he questioned.

"I will tell you nothing," Tenal replied adamantly though inside he was truly terrified.

"We will have the Electus" he said his voice cold and calm.

"You will not" Tenal stated confidently praying his fear did not show.

"Commander Kolya" another man said as he approached and Kolya turned to look at him. "Two women were seen running eastward from the house"

Kolya turned to Tenal a victorious and smug grin on his face "I take it these two women are the Electus that you are so willing to die to protect."

"When the time comes they will destroy you," Tenal told him and held his head high as Kolya aimed his weapon at him killing him in a single shot.

"Not if they are dead," Kolya stated maliciously.

He and his men left the house and headed eastward into the dense forest that the house was in the middle of to where several of soldiers had the two girls surrounded. They both stood close together and had a fearful yet defiant expression on their faces.

"Do not resist and you will not be harmed" Kolya told them as he stepped toward them and watched as they stepped back in fear.

"If you want them to believe that then perhaps you should stop scaring them" a tall man said as he approached the group. He too was not in uniform, he wore a long tanned coat that covered the dark blue clothes he wore underneath. His face was framed by his dreadlocks which brought out his green eyes.

"Commander Dex" Kolya acknowledged as anger passed through his eyes "Come to watch me claim my prize?"

Ronon was about to respond when several gun shots rung out from behind them one of them narrowly missing his head. He knew immediately that it was the Human Alliance which was confirmed when he turned and saw the standard Alliance military uniforms. There were also several men who wore more civilian clothing which meant they were Alliance Agents, not exactly military but controlled by the same people and a far bigger threat than the military soldiers.

The two girls took advantage of the distraction and ran into the woods. Ronon saw their movements in the corner of his eye and ran after them, he was faster than they were so he had no problem catching up to them. He pulled out his stunner and fired at one of the girls who collapsed to the floor unconscious without the other noticing. He ran over to her and dropped to the young woman's side turning her onto her back and brushing her light brown hair away from her face.

Once he was certain she was uninjured he picked her up and carried her away from the sounds of gunfire to his ship which he had landed nearby. The other woman was no where in sight but at least he had one of them. If they failed to capture the other then at least the Vernai had half of The Electus.

- - -

Elizabeth turned around realising that Teyla was no longer behind her, her eyes scanned the trees around her but she wasn't there. She started to head back but still couldn't find any sign of her. She was startled when the man who had been talking to them before the fire fight had broke out appeared from among the trees in front of her. She tried to step back so she could run but he grabbed her arm preventing her escape.

"You're not going anywhere but with me" he told her coldly "Where is the other?"

Elizabeth remained silent unwilling to tell him where Teyla was even if she knew. A look of anger and annoyance filled his face and for a moment she was afraid he was going to strike her and she tried to pull away. That caused his grip on her arm to tighten and he pulled her closer to him.

She turned her head when she heard a noise to her left and a young man stepped out of the trees his gun aimed at the man holding her. As he appeared the first man manoeuvred Elizabeth between them using her as a cover to prevent the other man firing.

"Will you really risk hitting The Electus?" he asked incredulously.

"I'm not aiming at her" the second man stated calmly and Elizabeth jumped when she heard the sound of a gunshot. The body of the man holding her jolted and he released his tight grip on her causing her to fall to the ground. She immediately stood up again as the second man approached and she regarded him both warily and fearfully.

"Where's the other girl?" he asked her and Elizabeth met his gaze trying to judge if she could trust him or not. The look in his eyes told her she could.

"I don't know, I lost her when we were running" she informed him sadly.

"Okay, we need to get you out of here" he told her firmly, his voice completely calm despite the current situation which she found helped with her own panicked emotions.

"What about Teyla?" she asked not wanting to leave her behind.

"My people will keep searching for her but we have to get you to safety" he stated and Elizabeth couldn't understand why it was so imperative that she was safe. She wasn't even sure why all these people were after her in the first place but she followed him to wherever he was planning to take her.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Steph7085 – **I'm glad I have you intrigued but if you explode from excitememnt you won't be able to read the story anyway lol. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Beka** – Thanks for the review, I'm glad you like my AU's and I promise this one will start to make sense soon. I hope you enjoy this chapter. 

**Fyd818 – **I feel bad for Tenal too but his death is an important part of the story line. I'm glad you liked the bits of Canon I slipped into the first chapter. I hope you enjoyed the trailer and thanks for the review.

**Suzotchka **– Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**TigerJade-86 – **Welcome to the world of SGA fanfiction lol. Thanks for the review and hope you enjoy this chapter. As for Separate Ways, I am planning a sequel but it may be a while before I get to it.

**Manah Sanders – **I'm glad you liked the first chapter and thanks for the review, it's good to know you like my AU's. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

- - -

Chapter 2

Elizabeth had been left in small room aboard the ship for the entire duration of her journey to a planet she was told was called Atlantis. A young woman had come in twice with food but she hadn't really spoken and had only stayed long enough to tell her she needed to eat. She had no idea what was going on or what had happened to Teyla or Tenal.

After a day of sitting in the small uncomfortable room the door opened and three men walked in. Two of them were wearing the same uniform that some of the men on Corlain had worn and the third was in a long white robe. He was the one who approached her with an unreadable expression that did nothing to alleviate her fear.

"It is good that you are finally with us Elizabeth Weir," he stated and Elizabeth looked at him warily.

"How do you know my name?" she asked him.

"I know everything I need to know about you, Tenal gave us frequent updates on the status of the Electus." He informed her and she looked at him in confusion having never heard that term before.

"What is the Electus?"

She was sure she had seen anger flicker through his expression along with the shock that was now evident on his face. "You do not know?"

"I have no idea what your talking about, can someone please tell me what is going on and what happened to Teyla and Tenal?" she questioned annoyance beginning to overtake the fear she was feeling. She had been torn from her home and her family and she still had no idea why.

"You are the Electus," he told her "You and Teyla Emmagan."

"Look," Elizabeth began "I don't know what you're talking about but if someone doesn't start telling me what's going on in a way I can understand I'm going to get really annoyed."

"You must come with me," he stated.

"I must do nothing," Elizabeth said angrily "I have been more than patient but I don't know you or anyone else here and I'm not just going to do whatever you tell me to."

"Follow me and all will be explained to you," he told her his voice portraying his annoyance at the situation. Elizabeth sighed realising she had no choice now but to trust them. She followed the man out of the room and the two uniformed men followed behind them with their weapons held tightly in their hands.

He led her off the ship and through several long sparsely decorated corridors to a set of large double doors. He pushed the doors open revealing a large room that had a large semi circular table in it. There were fourteen men and women sat around the table and one empty seat she assumed belonged to the man who had escorted her here. The dark wood table was slightly darker than the wooden floor of the room and there were no windows. The only source of light was the chandelier that hung from the ceiling.

The man took the empty seat as the two guards closed the doors behind her. The men and women were eyeing her curiously and she began to fell self conscious under their intense gazes.

"She does not know what she is," the man stated and their were several murmurs of shock and outrage across the table in front of her.

"How can this be?" one of the men shouted.

"It seems Tenal failed to inform them of their destiny."

"Excuse me," Elizabeth said quietly "But does someone want to tell me what's going on?"

"You should have been made aware of this many years ago, you and Teyla Emmagan are the Electus," a woman informed her.

"So I've heard, what is that?" she asked getting more and more frustrated.

"Generations ago it was prophesised that a great dark force would destroy the human race. That two would be born with the power to control it and combined you would have the ability to destroy it."

"And you think me and Teyla are these people?" Elizabeth asked incredulously.

"We are the Alliance Council, we found you both shortly after you were born and sent you to live on Corlain under the protection and guidance of Tenal Vaseran until the time came for you to complete your destiny."

"This," Elizabeth began "Is insane."

"But it is the truth."

"Where are Teyla and Tenal?" she asked.

"We do not know where Emmagan is, Tenal I'm afraid is dead, his death however is not entirely in vain as we at least have you."

Elizabeth had to force herself to stay on her feat upon hearing that the man who had raised her, who was basically a father to her was dead and the woman she considered a sister was missing.

"We will give you time to settle in," a man stated and gestured for the guards to escort her out of the room.

- - -

Teyla opened her eyes slowly trying to ignore the dull pain in her head. Her memories came back to her slowly, people had attacked their home and she and Elizabeth had run into the forest. The last thing she remembered was running and then nothing, nothing until she had woken up here. Sitting up she realised she was in a cell of some kind. She stood and walked toward the bars which curved around in a pattern that prevented her escape.

A sound outside the cell drew her attention and a tall man walked in, she recognised him immediately as one of the men who had attacked her home. She took several steps back away from the bars as he approached them. He stared at her for a long moment seeming to study her.

"Who are you?" she questioned refusing to show her fear.

"Commander Dex of the Vernai Army, but you can call me Ronon," the man replied in a voice that Teyla could easily mistake as friendly.

"What do you want?"

"The Electus," he replied.

"I don't know what that is," Teyla told him genuinely confused though she was sure she'd heard Tenal use that word before.

"You and Elizabeth Weir are the Electus," he informed her seeming slightly surprised that she didn't know what he was talking about "Destined to be the saviours of humanity and all that crap."

Teyla shook her head still not understanding what he was talking about and to be honest she didn't really care. "Where are Elizabeth and Tenal."

"I'm sorry to have to tell you that Tenal is dead," he told her sounding genuinely sorry. "I believe Elizabeth got away though."

Teyla sat down on the bed that she had only moments ago woke up on, she forced herself to push past the wave of grief that had suddenly hit her. She would have to deal with that later, right now she needed to find out how she was going to get herself out of the mess she was currently in. She stood up and slowly walked over to the bars where the man was still standing.

"What do you want with me?"

"I told you, we want the Electus," he answered and she could feel her anger getting the better of her.

"I don't know what that is!" she shouted.

"It is you, there is a prophesy that a dark force would emerge and two people would have the power to control it," he explained.

"Do you know how insane you sound?" Teyla questioned more calmly as he began to study her again.

"It might sound insane but every word of it is true," he stated before turning to leave once again. Teyla watched him go and sighed once he was out of sight before going to sit on the bed. She sat with her back to the wall and pulled her knees up to her chest.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Steph7085 – **I'm glad you're enjoying this story and I hope you enjoy this chapter too, thanks for the review.

**Whirlwind-2005 – **Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**TigerJade-86 – **Everyone improves with time, practice makes perfect. Thanks for the review and I'm glad you enjoy my stories and that they inspire you. I hope you like this chapter and thanks for the review.

**Fyd818 – **The council were a little intimidating weren't they? Glad you liked Teyla and Elizabeth's reactions to who they really are and Commander Dex does have a nice ring to it doesn't it? Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

- - -

Chapter 3

Kolya's ship was almost identical to Ronon's; it was the classic design for Command Vessels. Designed to be functional yet offer the Commander it belonged to an image of importance and prestige. Ronon had never been bothered by image or recognition; he simply did his job and did it well. He stood beside Kolya in the large command centre of the Vernai ship, the other officers carried out their tasks as the two commanders waited for the screen in front of them to spring to life. The face of the Vernai Admiral appeared and they both stood to attention.

"Report," The admiral demanded his face partially hidden in shadow as if to add an air of mystery and darkness to him.

"The attack on Corlain was not as successful as we had hoped," Kolya informed them having been the one in command of that mission. Ronon had simply been in the area and decided to tag along, partly because it was possibly one of the most important missions the Vernai had known and partly to annoy Kolya.

"What he means is he failed to capture the Electus," Ronon stated receiving a glare from Kolya in response.

"Is this true Commander Kolya?" The Admiral questioned his anger obvious to everyone who was eaves dropping on their conversation.

"We have one of them," Kolya defended and Ronon resisted the urge to roll his eyes or hit the man. It was just like him to take credit for someone else's work. It had been Ronon who had captured the Electus when Kolya had failed and allowed the Alliance to arrive before he could carry out his mission.

"Only because I followed her into the woods and captured her myself."

"You shouldn't have been there in the first place, it was my mission you had no right interfering," Kolya shouted.

"If I hadn't then both of the Electus would most likely have been taken by the Alliance."

"Enough, both of you," The Admiral interrupted angrily "I did not contact you to listen to your incessant arguing. Commander Dex, you will have charge of the Electus you have captured, teach her our ways and convert her to our cause."

"Admiral, I have to object, the Electus was my assignment," Kolya protested clearly unhappy about the Admiral's decision.

"You, Commander Kolya failed, Commander Dex captured her, he has earned the right to take her as his own prisoner. Do you feel you have been treated unfairly?" The Admiral questioned his voice taking on a dangerous undertone that dared Kolya to continue with his protests.

"No Sir," Kolya replied.

"Good, now both of you get back to your jobs."

The Admirals face once again disappeared from the screen and Kolya turned angry brown eyes on Ronon who simply stood there unshaken. Kolya was used to getting his own way since most of the people he commanded were afraid of him, he would kill any of them in a heart beat if he felt the need to. Ronon and the Admiral were the only two people he had never been able to intimidate; even the other Commanders would usually let him have his way.

"You'll regret this," Kolya told him and Ronon merely shrugged off the threat and walked away. He needed to figure out exactly how he was going to get the girl to co-operate with him.

- - -

Elizabeth had been allowed to sleep for a few hours before one of the Alliance Council members had shown up at her room requesting that she followed him. She did as she was told and followed him through the corridors of the building doing her best to ignore all the curious stares she was receiving from the people around her. He stopped and knocked on a door waiting for the muffled 'come in' before he opened it.

The room they walked into was clearly an office, it was sparsely decorated and somewhat untidy which she supposed would reflect the owner. Sitting at the desk was the man who had rescued her back on Corlain, his unmistakable green eyes landing on her as she entered the room behind the Councillor.

"Councillor," the man greeted respectfully.

"Agent Sheppard, this is Elizabeth Weir, Ms Weir this Agent Sheppard, he will both train and protect you," the Councillor informed her.

"Train me for what?" she asked annoyed that she had still barely been told what was going on.

"I'll let him explain," the Councillor replied as he left the room Elizabeth was about to protest but instead just sighed and watched him go.

"They're not very big on information sharing," Agent Sheppard told her apologetically, "Though they did inform me that you didn't know about any of this."

"Not until I got here," she told him and he gestured to the seat in front of his desk.

"Okay, so why don't we start with the basics. This is Alliance headquarters; I am an Agent of the Alliance. We've been at war with the Vernai for generations, that's who attacked you on Corlain."

"Why are you at war with them?" Elizabeth questioned.

"They're power hungry and to be quite honest evil, they don't agree with the ways of the human alliance and believe we should be destroyed. Some of the people in their ranks are actually human's who also don't like our system."

"So the Vernai aren't human?"

"No, they're almost genetically identical but there are differences in their DNA, it's those differences that keep them safe."

"Safe from what?" she asked unsure she wanted to know the answer.

"The dark cloud, we don't know exactly what it is but it travels from planet to planet. Any human it comes in contact with is killed and we have no defence against it."

"Let me guess this is the part where I come in."

"The prophesy says that each of the Electus has the power to control it and together you would have the power to destroy it," he explained and Elizabeth shook her head trying to wrap her head around everything.

"This all sounds ridiculous, like something from a fantasy book," she said quietly.

"I know, that's how I felt when I first heard about it but it's true, I've seen the devastation the cloud causes, we have to find a way to stop it," he told her and Elizabeth sat silently for a moment as she processed everything she had been told.

"What exactly are you going to be training me to do?"

"To be an Agent of the Alliance," he said simply, "I'll teach you how to fight, shoot, everything you need to know. Hopefully somewhere along the way you'll figure out how to use whatever power it is you have that will allow you to control the cloud. Unfortunately without the other Electus you won't be able to destroy it but you should be able to control it, prevent it killing anyone else. I know this is a lot of information all at once but its stuff you have to know."

"Okay, where do we start?" she asked. This seemed as insane to her as it had at the start but if it was true then she could save lives and if it wasn't she would at least have a chance to help in someway.

- - -

Ronon walked into the prison cells to find Teyla sitting on her bed with her back to the wall. Her knees were pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around them as if she was trying to protect herself from the danger around her. She looked at him when he approached the bars that kept her caged. He could see the fear in her eyes though her expression was one of determination.

He opened the door of the cage and took several steps towards her. Her body tensed up and she tried to push herself further into the wall as he did so.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he told her and she stared at him a moment trying to judge whether or not he was telling her the truth. She must have decided he was because she visibly relaxed.

"What do you want?" she asked him quietly.

"You've been placed in my care," he informed her.

"You mean I'm your prisoner," she stated.

"I'll be training you, I'll teach you how to fight and hopefully we'll find a way for you to access your powers, you'll become a member of the Vernai Army," he explained ignoring her statement.

"After what you did to my home, to Tenal, you expect me to help you?" she asked angrily.

"You don't have a choice," he said simply as he took in the look of pure hatred she was sending his way.

"I will never join you," she told him adamantly, her features became even more determined than when he had entered the room. He was taken aback by the strength that seemed to emanate from her all of a sudden though he didn't let it show.

"Eventually you will."

He could feel her eyes burning into his back as he walked out of the room and he didn't need to turn around to know she was pinning him with a glare that rivalled Kolya's. She was angry and he could use that to his advantage, he just needed to find a way to make her channel that anger. He would have to find out what made her angry, he was sure there had to be more than just Tenal's death.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**Steph7085 – **Glad you like the dynamics in the story so far, thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Fyd818 – **Thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked the scene with Ronon, Kolya and the Admiral. It does seem like Ronon has a battle on if he want to get Teyla to join them but he's a very persistent man. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Whirlwind-2005 – **It probably is a good thing that Teyla's refusing to help but Ronon can be persistent. Glad you liked the last chapter and thanks for the review.

- - -

Chapter 4

After meeting John the previous day Elizabeth had been allowed the rest of the afternoon to herself. He had come for her in her room early that morning and she had grudgingly followed him to the gym he would be using to train her. She had been forced to lift weights and run on treadmills in an effort to build up her strength and stamina; apparently she was going to need it.

John had so far been very patient with her, allowing her to go at her own pace and helping her whenever she needed it. With a few hours of exercising done and her body exhausted he had called it a day and decided to take her to the cafeteria for dinner. The cafeteria was a large room with tables placed at regular intervals and people crowded around them in their own groups as they ate their meals.

Elizabeth didn't feel up to sitting with any of them and having to converse with people she didn't know, especially with all the curious stares she had been getting since she arrived. She was relieved when John chose an empty table for them to sit at and she did her best to ignore the people who kept glancing at her as she sat down. She winced inwardly as she did so, her aching muscles protesting to every movement she made.

"Don't worry, a long soak in a hot bath and you'll be fine," John stated having seen her struggle.

"I'm not used to this at all, on Corlain I spent most of my time reading books or taking slow walks," she explained sighing as her aching arm tried to prevent her from eating.

John offered her an encouraging, sympathetic smile "Your body will adapt eventually, in the meantime we just have to try not to push it too far."

"That's easy for you to say," Elizabeth complained and John just smirked as he resumed eating his food. People continued to stare at her throughout her entire meal as they whispered amongst themselves. Occasionally words like 'Electus' would be loud enough for her to hear and left no doubt in her mind that they were talking about her.

She was actually glad when she finished eating and it was time to get back to work though she was doubly glad that the physical aspect of her training was over for the day. This afternoon would be pretty much information download and though she wasn't entirely sure her brain could handle anymore new information anytime soon it was better than putting her body through another work out.

As they arrived in his office Elizabeth eased herself onto the sofa that sat in the corner of the office. John picked up some files from his desk before joining her and handing the files to her. "This is your homework," he told her in amusement.

"Oh, yay," she said sarcastically as she started flicking through the various files "What is it?"

"Rules and Regulations, a little information on the prophesy, protocols, history of the Alliance, I'd just skim that one if I were you," he replied and Elizabeth groaned inwardly.

"This is going to be fun," Elizabeth retorted.

"Don't worry, I'll help you with it all, starting with rules and regulations," he told her with a smile as he took the appropriate file from her hands and opened it. Elizabeth had to admit he was definitely a good looking man and he had a sort of boyish charm that she found somewhat endearing. Shaking her head she mentally chastised herself, she barely knew the man and he was basically her teacher, thinking thoughts like that were not going to help their working relationship.

- - -

Teyla tapped her fingers on her knees as she sat on the bed in her cell staring at the plate of food that had been brought to her hours ago. She hadn't been able to eat more than few bites having lost her appetite almost immediately. Something about her current predicament just didn't seem to inspire healthy eating. Apart form the young female officer who had brought her food she had been left completely alone in the room since Ronon had left yesterday.

She had drifted into a restless sleep at some point during the night but apart from those few hours she'd had nothing to do but think about her situation. She had been torn from her home because these people thought she was part of some insane prophesy, Tenal was dead and she had no idea what had happened to Elizabeth. Ronon had said she might have got away but for all she knew that was a lie, it was very possible that she was dead or had also been captured and was being kept elsewhere.

The sound of the door opening drew her out of her thoughts and she looked up in time to see Ronon enter the room. He approached the bars of her cell and pressed a button that opened them. She stood up and backed into the wall as he approached her though for some reason she knew he wasn't going to hurt her.

"Come with me," he instructed and Teyla silently shook her head. "This isn't a request."

"I'm not going anywhere with you and I will not help you," she stated adamantly though his expression didn't change.

"You have to start training," he informed her calmly.

"I don't have to do anything, whatever it is you people want me to do I won't do it," she replied and she was sure Ronon smirked but it had been too imperceptible to know for sure.

"The Admiral wants you to join us and he's given this task to me but if you don't begin your training I'll be forced to hand you over to Commander Kolya and he is not as patient or as nice as I am," Ronon explained and Teyla studied him for a moment. His expression was unreadable but his eyes gave away his concern, he seemed to be genuinely worried about the possibility of handing her over to this man and that itself made her afraid.

"I will train," she told him after several moments of considering her options, perhaps if she just bought herself some time she could find a way to escape. "But I will never work for you."

"We will see," Ronon stated with a barely concealed victorious smile on his face. He seemed so sure that she would eventually help them and it made her wonder if he knew something she didn't. Obviously he knew a lot that she didn't having never heard about this prophesy before yesterday. "Follow me."

This time Teyla did as instructed following him out of the cell and then out into the corridor. Having been unconscious when she'd arrived the only place she had seen so far was her cell and the corridor outside it. She was shocked when they passed by a window and all she could see was the blackness of space and the stars that filled it, she was in space. She stopped and took a step toward the window to take in the sight before her. Somewhere in her mind she registered Ronon stopping at turning back to her when he realised she was no longer following him. He stepped up beside her and seemed to wait patiently for her.

"I've never been in space before," she told him quietly.

"Yes you have," Ronon informed her and she turned to look at him both surprised and curious. "You would have probably only been few weeks old at the time but you were not born on Corlain. You were born on a planet called Athos, taken from your parents almost immediately and handed over to Tenal. He was supposed to raise you in secret and teach you all you would need to know to fulfil the prophesy."

"How do you know that?" she asked him.

"The prophesy stated roughly when and where you would be born, both the Alliance and the Vernai were aware of this, lets go," he said bringing an end to their conversation and continuing on down the corridor. Teyla looked back out of the window one last time before following him again running a few steps in order to catch up with him. They entered a large room which was pretty much empty except for a bench and some shelves at one end.

"Why are we here?" she questioned as she looked around the room.

"This is where we will begin your training, you will need to learn to fight hand to hand as well as with various weapons," he explained and Teyla nodded her head slowly wondering what she had gotten herself into now.

- - -

John walked into the council chamber at a ridiculously early hour of the morning having been summoned from his sleep. He had dressed quickly and immediately headed to the chamber still half asleep as he did so. The council were all sat in their usual positions each of them looking at him with a superiority that seemed to be standard for council members.

"Agent Sheppard," one of them acknowledged and he waited for them to continue. "I am sure you are aware of the situation on the planet Malnar. It appears to be getting worse; we need you to go and discover exactly what the problem is and find a way to resolve it."

"Take the Electus with you, this should be a fairly simple mission and it would be a good opportunity for her to see how thing work," another said and John simply nodded his head.

"The Rising Star will transport you to the planet; they leave in an hour, dismissed."

John walked out of the room having not said a single word the entire time. He made his way to Elizabeth's room to inform her they needed to leave. He knew yesterday had been a tiring day and that she needed her sleep but orders were orders and he had his. He pressed the button by the door that would inform her he was there and waited patiently for a few moments before the doors opened to reveal her sleepy form. She was dressed in light blue pyjamas and her hair was still a mess from sleep, she actually looked kinda cute.

"You're not making me go the gym are you?" she questioned sleep evident in her voice.

"No, the council are sending us on a mission."

"What, already?" she asked suddenly a little more alert but by no means awake yet.

"You're simply going along as an observer, I'll explain on the way. We leave in an hour," he explained.

"Alright," Elizabeth replied fighting off a yawn as she turned to go back into her room on what John guessed was autopilot. He smiled to himself as the doors to her room closed and he headed toward his own room to get his things. He gave her half an hour to get ready before heading back to her room where he found her changed into the clothes she had been provided. Black pants and a dark blue jacket, her hair looked far tidier than it had when he'd last seen her and she was clearly more awake now.

"I really need to go shopping, as nice as the Alliance's taste in clothes is, I want mine," she informed him as he entered the room.

"I'll add it to the schedule," he replied.

"Is there anything I need to take with me?" she questioned.

"Nope, come on," he said as he left the room and she fell in step beside him as they made their way to the docking bay. The Rising Star was waiting for them there; it was one of the Alliance's biggest ships with a crew complement over a hundred and fifty people. They boarded the ship and headed straight for the bridge, the room was full of bleeping consoles and flashing lights as the crew went about their jobs.

"Agent Sheppard I presume," the Captain said as he turned to look at them and John held out his hand to the military man.

"I am and this is my partner, Agent Weir," John introduced and noticed Elizabeth visibly relax as the captain shook her hand.

"We should be underway within the next twenty minutes and it should take about three days to reach Malnar," the captain explained "Temporary quarters have been set up for you, Lieutenant Adams please show our guests to their rooms."

"Thank you Captain," John said placing a hand on the small of Elizabeth's back as he turned to follow the Lieutenant. It took only a few minutes to reach their room before the young officer left them.

"You should probably sleep for a few hours," John informed her and she nodded her head.

"Why did you say I was your partner?" she asked curiously.

"That's what you are, my partner in training," he replied and she smiled.

"It was weird when you called me Agent Weir," she admitted and he returned her smile.

"Well, it's something you'll have to get used to," he told her "Go and get some sleep."

- - -

Teyla felt the sharp pain in her left arm just before her feat went out from under her and her back slammed into the ground. She laid there unmoving for several moments before Ronon's imposing form loomed over her as he stood looking down at her. That was the eighth time she'd ended up on the floor and it wasn't getting any less painful.

"You planning on getting back up?" he questioned and she glared at him as she stood up.

"You're leaving your left side open to attack," he informed her and she sighed inwardly, this felt less like training and more like having her ass kicked every few minutes. He had spent yesterday afternoon teaching her how to block, defend and attack. Everything had been done in slow motion so that she could see exactly what she was doing. Today he had told her they were sparring to see how much she had learned.

She had barely got a single hit in and the few she had landed purely out of luck hadn't even fazed him. She wasn't physically strong enough to do any damage and the whole thing was beginning to irritate her.

"I'm half your size, how am I supposed to beat you?" she questioned in annoyance.

"Your size doesn't matter, if you develop the skills then you can take out anyone you need to," he told her and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. That was easy for him to say, he was huge, he could take out most people by breathing on them. "Let's go again."

Teyla groaned inwardly but got into position anyway, using her left arm to defend her body and her right to protect her head. She placed her feat in a position that would keep her balanced and watched as Ronon did the same. She then lunged for him swinging her fist at his head but he caught it only a second before it connected. He used her arm to spin her around and pull her into him, the back of her body pressed against his and his strong arm held her in place as she tried to struggle free.

"Don't be so eager to rush your opponent, it leaves you vulnerable and exposed," he stated and she stopped struggling. He held her against him for several more moments before finally releasing her and she took several steps away from him before she turned around.

"How do you expect me to learn all this in just a few days?" she asked.

"I don't, I expect you to get it wrong, to make mistakes but I also expect you to learn from them," he replied "I think that's enough for one day, I'll take you back to your cell."

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**Suzotchka1 – **Thanks for the review, I'm glad you're enjoying the story and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Steph7085 – **I'm glad you liked the last chapter, thanks for the review.

**Fyd818 – **I do feel kind of bad for Elizabeth and Teyla, they've both been thrown into this mess without even understanding why, I can be so cruel sometimes lol. I'm glad you liked the scene where Teyla was looking into space and I'm sure she'll be beating Ronon up before long lol. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Whirlwind-2005 – **I'm glad you like the interaction between John and Elizabeth, thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

- - -

Chapter 5

Teyla stared at the plate of food that was resting on the floor in front of her, she'd been on the Vernai ship for several days now and so far had only nibbled at the meals she'd been brought. Her training sessions with Ronon though were tiring her out and she knew she needed to eat something if she wanted to keep her body going. She got up from the bed and took a few steps over to the meal

She winced slightly as she bent down to pick it up and carry back it back to her bed, her body protested against every movement. She had more bruises covering her body than she cared to count especially on her back from the amount of times she'd hit the floor. She curled up on the bed and tried to eat at least some of the food but it seemed every time she brought it to her lips her appetite left her. She felt physically, mentally and emotionally drained and she wished she could wake up and realise this had been a nightmare.

Ronon had allowed her to take yesterday off from her rigorous training but it only given her time to feel the pain her body was in. He seemed determined to push her until she snapped, until she finally reached breaking point and her body just gave up which by the way she was feeling probably wouldn't take much longer.

She had no idea exactly how long she'd been there, she spent so many hours trapped in a cell without the rise and fall of the sun to track the days. Every hour blended into the next as nothing more than a blur as she stared at the blank walls around her.

Once again she found herself thinking of Elizabeth, apparently she had got away but got away to where? The thought that Elizabeth hadn't been captured gave her hope, surely she would go straight to whatever authorities she could, probably the Human Alliance and then they would be able to rescue her. She just had to sit tight a little longer and allow Ronon to believe he was swaying her. As long as she survived her training she would hopefully be home again soon.

She had barely eaten three bites of her meal when she gave up and pushed the plate away from her. She heard the door outside the cell open and looked up to see Ronon standing at the other side of the bars. He stared at her a moment before looking at the still full plate on the bed.

"You need to eat," he told her in a gruff voice.

"I'm not hungry," was her lifeless reply and for a brief moment she was sure she saw concern flicker across his face but it was gone as soon as it had appeared and she had to wonder if she'd seen it at all.

"You need to keep your body's strength up," he stated and she looked at him with an almost defeated expression.

"Why, when you seem so intent on breaking it?" she questioned but he didn't reply. Instead he opened the door to her cell and stepped inside. She stopped recoiling from him a couple of days ago but the fear was still there. His green eyes studied her and she felt completely exposed under his intense gaze.

"It is not about breaking you, it is about preparing you for what is to come. Right now you are not strong enough to face what lays ahead," he explained and Teyla shook her head. She still didn't understand any of this, a few days ago she had been sitting at home with the people she considered family and now she was being held captives by a bunch of people who had not only destroyed her home but killed the man who was basically her father.

"Maybe I don't want to face whatever lies ahead," she stated stubbornly refusing to just give into what these people wanted from her.

"You don't have a choice, it's your destiny," he told her calmly.

"I thought it was my destiny to save humanity, not help you destroy it," she corrected.

"Your destiny is to control or destroy the darkness, what you decide to do with that power is your choice," Ronon responded and Teyla found herself getting frustrated with the conversation.

"Well I choose not to destroy humanity," she declared and Ronon merely gave her a look that told her otherwise.

"We won't be training today, your body clearly needs more time to recover," he informed her abruptly ending their conversation and walking out of the cell. Teyla watched as he locked her in her cell and heard the tell tale signs of the door closing. She was once again left alone in her dim empty cell and for a brief second she found herself wishing he hadn't left. Quickly shaking the thought from her head she pulled the plate of food back to her and tried to eat it again.. He was right about one thing, she did need to eat.

- - -

The Rising Star flew through hyperspace gracefully on course to Malnar. Inside the crew went about their tasks, all of them with a purpose and a job to do. They were a day and a half into their journey and it would be another 36 hours before they arrived at their location.

John and Elizabeth had taken the time to continue her training, they had spent the morning in the gym though John had allowed her to sleep in for which she was grateful. Her body ached less from the strain she was putting it under and she was already finding their work out sessions easier to get through. After showering she had met John in the ships cafeteria for lunch and the two of them had then headed to her room so she could do the 'homework' part of her training.

Around the ship she'd heard people talking about the Electus and the prophesy and she knew word had finally spread among the crew of who she was. That's what she had been worried about when John had introduced her to the captain. She had been afraid he would introduce her as the Electus and then she would have immediately had to deal all the stares and the whispering. As it was though she'd had whole day before she'd become the topic of everyone's conversations.

John seemed to have sensed her unease and when they weren't training in the gym or eating they were in one of their quarters studying. It had taken forever to get through the rules and regulations file, it had seemed like an unending list of do's and don'ts. Some of them she remembered, some of them were more of a blur but she got the general idea.

Next on their list was protocols, what to do if this and what to do if that. Her mind felt like mush as though she had overloaded it with all the information she had poured into it over the last few days.

"Okay," John said as he quizzed on what she had learnt so far "In the event you come under fire from the Deymos whilst in an alliance base, what do you do?"

"Duck?" Elizabeth questioned as her mind drew a blank in answer to his question. John narrowed his eyes and smiled at her.

"After you duck," he told her and she laughed softly buying herself time to come up with the answer.

"Shoot them back?" she tried again realising her mind was more of a mess than she thought it was, this should have been an easy question. John narrowed his eyes at her again but this time waited silently for her to change her answer. "Radio for back up and if possible stay in the same place and hold them off. If not back off slowly to prevent them from gaining to much ground."

"Good," John told her and Elizabeth groaned as she brought her hands up to her face.

"Had enough for one day?" John asked and she dropped her hands to her lap again and stared at him for a moment as she tried to decided how to explain just how far past 'had enough' she was.

"I think my head's going to explode," she informed him and he smiled sympathetically.

"It gets easier, I had a lot longer to learn things than you but my brain felt overloaded everyday, the more you learn and the stronger you get the easier it becomes," he encouraged her and she nodded her head slowly.

"Do you think we can finish for today?" she questioned "My body is requesting food and sleep and when I say requesting I mean screaming at me."

"Sure, we can go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat," he said and they both stood up from the couch they were sitting on and left the room.

- - -

Ronon walked through the corridors of the Kolya's command ship. He was looking forward to being able to get off this ship and back to his own. Unfortunately when he had come here he had sent his ship for some routine repairs and they wouldn't be able to return for him now for a few weeks.

As he turned the corner he saw Kolya heading in his direction with an angry look on his face. He knew Kolya had been trying to get the Admiral to hand custody of Teyla over to him. As long as the Admiral believed that Ronon was making progress with Teyla he was happy to leave her where she was. The fact that the young woman had agreed to at least start training had helped Ronon greatly.

"I suppose you're pleased with yourself," Kolya spat angrily as he came to a stop and Ronon guessed he'd just had another very unproductive conversation with the Admiral.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ronon replied with a shrug.

"I'll get her you know that right?" Kolya questioned rhetorically "One way or another I'll get her."

"You'll stay very far away from her cell or you'll have to deal with me," Ronon threatened him and Kolya smirked though he did shrink back slightly which gave Ronon the satisfaction he wanted.

"Just be careful Commander Dex, you're on my ship and it would be terrible if something were to happen to you during your stay and of course the Electus would fall into my hands," Kolya told him and Ronon had no problem hearing the not so hidden threat in his words before the commander walked away.

Ronon knew that it would not be too much of a stretch for Kolya to make good on his threat. He also knew that the commander had a gift for twisting the truth and if he didn't start making progress with Teyla Kolya would have the perfect excuse to get the admiral to give him the Electus.

He needed to step things up with Teyla, to speed up her training and start converting her to the Vernai cause. To do that he would need to find out what was holding her to the Alliances side and try to turn it around on her. The other Electus seemed to be at the forefront of her mind so maybe there was a way to get to her through that, she also seemed to be holding to the hope that somehow she'd be rescued, that could very easily be manipulated and turned around on her.

Part of him hated having to do this to her, having to twist everything she held close to her heart around but he had no choice. He had to keep his position amongst the Vernai Commanders and losing an Electus would not help him do that. Besides if he failed to teach her then she would be handed over to Kolya and that was a fate worse than death, so in effect he was protecting her by doing this. His resolve in place he made his way to his room, tomorrow he would set his plan in motion and ensure Teyla joined the Vernai.

- - -

Teyla shrank back against the wall beside her bed as Ronon walked into the cell. After days of no longer recoiling from him she felt the sudden need to get as far away from him as possible. The look of cold determination on his face made her feel more afraid of him than she had since she'd got there.

"It is time to train," he told her simply and Teyla contemplated refusing but another look at the expression on his face quickly silenced any protests. She stood up and followed him out of the cell to the gym he used to train her. He allowed her time to stretch her muscles for which she was grateful since she'd only been awake for a few minutes when he'd barged into her cell.

She swallowed her fear and took a deep breath, if he was in a bad mood the last thing she wanted to do was spar with him and end up on the receiving end of it. "Is something bothering you?" she questioned and for a moment he stared at her surprised that she'd asked the question.

"Commander Kolya has been trying to get custody of you and I believe he is coming closer to succeeding," he told her glad it wasn't a complete lie.

"He is the one you warned me would not be as patient as you?" she asked and Ronon nodded his head silently. "But I agreed to train, surely that counts for something," she said quietly and he could detect the fear in her voice she was trying to hide.

"It does but if we don't start to make progress soon it will be seen as a failure on my part and you will be handed over to someone else, most likely Kolya," Ronon explained and Teyla forced herself not to show her fear. "Why are you holding back?" he asked her and Teyla looked at him.

"You mean why will I not join you?" she questioned "Because I do not wish help you in your battle against humanity."

"Do you still believe that you will be rescued?" Ronon questioned sarcastically "Do you not think that if rescue was coming it would have been here by now. There is no sign of the Alliance coming here to save you."

"Elizabeth will not leave me here," Teyla stated adamantly.

"She already has, if she had any intention of coming to save you then surely she would have done it already. I can tell you where she is if you want to know," he told her. For once Kolya's information was going to come in useful for something.

"Where?" Teyla asked almost afraid of the answer.

"With the Alliance, they took her from Talos shortly after we left, she has been with them for days yet I still see no sign of a rescue party," he informed her and watched as Teyla looked down at the floor. "When I captured you on Talos she made no attempt to save you, she simply ran off and left you to your fate."

Teyla was still staring at the floor when he finished speaking and he could only just see her face through the light brown hair that fell to either side of it. It was enough for him to see the lone tear that had escaped her eye though and if he hadn't been the stoic emotionless guy that he was it might have been his undoing. She lifted her hand to her face and wiped the tear away with the back of her hand and a moment later she looked up. There was no emotion on her face whatsoever but it was all their in her eyes for him to read, the sadness… and the anger. He didn't know who or what the anger was directed at but it was the emotion he needed from her, the first step in converting her.

They took up their positions and Teyla lunged at him first, she swung for him but he caught her wrist in time. She was not yet skilled enough to beat him but the anger she was using to fight with leant her a speed and strength that surprised him. She managed to hit him once on the chest which was more than she had been able to do since he had started training her.

Teyla swung furiously for Ronon, she was angrier than she could ever remember feeling and whilst she knew she needed to reign it in she couldn't. She wasn't even entirely sure what she was so angry at, was she angry at Ronon for telling her this because for all she knew it was nothing but lies or was she angry at Elizabeth and the Alliance for abandoning her to this place. As she continued to unleash her fists on Ronon the man caught her wrists and spun her around so that her back was pressed close against his chest and her arms were pinned to her stomach.

She tried to struggle free from his grip not yet ready to let her anger go but he held her in place until she was forced to stop. "Now we're getting somewhere," he said quietly before releasing his grip on her. "Ready to try again?"

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**Fyd818 – **Thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked Elizabeth's scene with John and her answers to his questions. The sparring scene was my favourite part off the last chapter to write and I'm really glad you like their sparring scenes. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Loserbaby – **Wow, thanks, I'm really glad you like my stories. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Whirlwind-2005 – **Thanks for the review, I'm glad you like the story and I never thought about it that way, maybe that is why Teyla's such a good fighter. Hope you like this chapter.

**Steph7085 – **I'm glad you liked the last scene and I hope you like this chapter too, thanks for the review.

- - -

Chapter 6

The walls of her cell were not as entertaining as she would have liked them to be. She was tempted to ask for something to preoccupy herself with, a book, a stick, a peashooter she could use on Ronon when he tried to get her out of the cell, not that it would stop him but it would at least be mildly entertaining. Teyla shook her head at her own thoughts realising just how bored she was.

Ronon's words had refused to leave her mind since her training session earlier that morning. Part of her was relieved that Elizabeth had been rescued from Corlain by the Alliance but another part of her was angry, angry that Elizabeth and the Alliance had not come to her rescue. It was taking a great amount of effort to ignore the latter part of herself but Ronon's words were still there. She couldn't wrap her head around the idea that Elizabeth would abandon her to these people. They were almost sisters, closer even and after growing up together she couldn't believe that Elizabeth would just leave her. If their roles had been reversed and Elizabeth had been the one taken by the Vernai then Teyla would have done everything in her power to rescue her. She wouldn't have allowed her to be taken in the first place and if Ronon was telling the truth then when she had been captured Elizabeth had just run away.

She knew he was trying to manipulate her into turning against the Human Alliance and that every word he'd said could be a lie. If she allowed herself to blindly believe what he'd said then she would be letting the Vernai win and that was the last thing she wanted. She had been angry when she was fighting Ronon, lashing out at him with a fury she didn't even know she possessed. In those few moments she'd given them both a glimpse of what she could become. She'd hit him, she'd actually landed a punch and whist it hadn't even phased him it had been more than she'd achieved since this had started. The worst thing was that she had actually felt a thrill of excitement when she'd done it, a feeling she wanted more of.

Ronon had very obviously been pleased with this mornings events believing that he was finally getting somewhere with her. After an hour of training he had finally brought her back to her cell where she'd had time to calm down. It hadn't done her much good though, she was still as angry now that she was calm as he had been earlier, she was just doing a better job of not showing it.

Being back in her cell for a few hours had given her time to think, her mind had spun off in a thousand different directions considering not only everything that had happened but everything that could happen. If she was not going to be rescued then that left her with only three options. Refuse to co-operate with the Vernai and ultimately get handed over to Kolya which from what she'd heard would not be a good thing. Pretend to co-operate and take the first chance she had to escape or give up her stubbornness and join the Vernai, she tried to pretend the last option wasn't the most enticing.

- - -

Elizabeth's feet pounded against the treadmill in a steady rhythm as she ran in time with the machine. Beside her John was running at a slightly faster speed and though his breathing had become more laboured he showed no signs of stopping. Elizabeth on the other hand could already feel the pain in her legs as her body begged her to stop. She pressed the button in front of her to slow the machine down until it came to a stop and she stepped off the back. She quickly located her towel and used it to dry the sweat that had accumulated on her forehead before she wrapped it around her neck and sat down on the floor at the side of the room with her bottle of water.

John continued to run for another minute before he slowed his own machine to a stop and moved to sit next to her with his own towel and water. Elizabeth was actually beginning to feel the benefits of her regular work outs, she wasn't tiring as quickly and she could feel herself getting stronger. Every work out was easier than the last and as she looked at the time she noticed she'd been running for half an hour, a week ago she would have been out of breath and exhausted after the first ten minutes.

She picked up the file that was resting on the ground in beside her, the front cover had the words 'History of the Alliance' written on it. She had finally managed to make it through the ridiculously large amount of rules, procedures and protocols. A lot of it was now a blur but John had decided it was time to move on to another subject. He'd picked History of the Alliance because he hated it and wanted to get it out of the way. He skimmed through half of the file with her in less than a day and Elizabeth had found the whole thing very dull.

Unfortunately though she still had another half of the file to get through so she opened it up on the correct page and John shifted closer so he could read it over her shoulder. "The battle of Kentos," he read out loud.

"Sounds about as interesting as the other battles I've read about," she muttered to herself and she could practically hear the smile in John's voice as he spoke.

"Oh it is," he told her feigning interest "Basically, the Alliance forces and the Vernai forces were fighting over control of the planet. For weeks both sides sent hundreds of soldiers in to try and win but in the end the Vernai won and the Alliance were forced to pull out," he summarised for her and Elizabeth nodded her head in understanding before turning the page.

"The prophesy," Elizabeth read her voice barely above a whisper.

"The Alliance Council learnt of it generations before you were even born," he told her and Elizabeth looked at him questioningly.

"How do they know it's me?" she asked and he shrugged.

"Apparently there were signs that led them to you, where and when you were born, things like that, I don't know, they don't really tell us much," he replied before continuing. "Anyway the Alliance council took you the day you were born and waited until Teyla was born a little while later. Then they had you both sent off to Corlain to be protected and taught by Tenal until the time came for you to fulfil the prophesy."

"What happened to my parents?" she questioned and John grimaced inwardly, he had hoped she wouldn't ask that.

"They both died," he stated solemnly "Your father was killed in the war about a month before you were born and your mother died during childbirth, that's all I was told."

"What about Teyla's parents, do you know what happened to them?" she asked after a moment.

"Her mother died in childbirth too, apparently it's part of the prophesy, I don't know what happened to her father," he explained and Elizabeth turned back to the file to turn over the page again. Beside her John started moving and then stood up offering her his hand to help her up. "Well be arriving on Malnar in about two hours, we should go get ready."

Elizabeth closed the file and accepted his hand allowing him to help her up from the floor before the two of them made their way out of the gym and along the corridor. As always the people she passed stared at her curiously and some of them started whispering but she was actually starting to get used to it now, it didn't bother her anywhere near as much as it used to. John left her outside her room before heading to his own.

- - -

The final two hours of their journey passed quickly and John and Elizabeth walked onto the bridge in time to see the ship drop out of hyperspace. The large planet of Malnar was visible below them through the large window at the front of the bridge. John and Elizabeth did their best to remain out of the way as the ship entered orbit and the crew ran around doing their various jobs.

The captain was barking out orders when the slightly alarmed voice of the woman at the sensors console interrupted him. "Sir a missile was just fired from the planet's surface heading in our direction."

"Evasive action," the captain called directing the statement at the young blonde man currently sitting at the helm. The only indication the ship was moving was the changing view in the window but the movement was not fast enough to avoid the missile. It hit the ship causing it to lurch violently as the woman at sensors declared more missiles were incoming.

Every impact caused the ship to shake as voices shouted across the bridge. Status reports were being called from one console whilst the captain shouted orders at his crew. "Shields are down," a male voice shouted and the next impact caused several explosions around the bridge.

"I've located the source of the missiles," the woman at sensors called.

"Transfer them to the weapons console," the captain shouted even though the woman was already doing so but before she could complete her task the console in front of her exploded sending sparks everywhere. John moved from his position beside Elizabeth to where the woman's body laid across the floor. One side of her face was badly burned and despite the fact that he knew he wouldn't find a pulse he put his fingers to her neck, she was dead.

He stood up and turned to the console hoping he would still be able to send the co-ordinates to the weapons station but the explosion had completely destroyed it. The co-ordinates had been lost and with them any chance of stopping their attackers.

"Weapons are offline," a woman's voice called.

"Hull breaches decks five through eight," a mans voice followed.

"Captain we can't take many more hits like that," another voice shouted and John watched as another member of the bridge crew fell victim to the explosions that were tearing the ship apart.

The captain turned to the small panel on the side of his chair and pressed one of the buttons "All hands this is the captain, abandon ship, I repeat abandon ship."

John quickly moved back over to Elizabeth who was holding onto a railing in an effort to keep herself standing. John took her hand and pulled her along with him toward the doors. As they left the bridge another missile impact threatened to knock them both of their feat. They continued to make their way through the bridge using the stairs and ladders instead of the lifts to make it down to where the escape shuttles were docked.

Another explosion loosened a beam that was above their head and John had only a second to react. Throwing himself at Elizabeth he sent them both crashing to the floor out of reach of the beam that swung down to hit them. He landed on top of her and once the debris stopped falling he quickly used his arms to push himself up relieving her of his weight. The movement brought him face to face with her and under normal circumstances he would have appreciated the position.

Instead he stood up pulling her up with him and led them to the escape shuttles as he kept hold of her hand. They made their way over to one of the shuttles and up the small ramp at the back. Inside there were seats attached to the walls at either side and John quickly located two that were empty. Pulling Elizabeth towards them he quickly manoeuvred her into the chair and pulled the straps down over her shoulders buckling them into the ones around her waist and pulling them tight. Once he was sure she was secure he offered her a small smile before dropping into the seat next to her and strapping himself in.

The doors to the shuttle closed and he felt the shuttles engines start, turning his head to the side he could see through the front window as the two pilots flew the shuttle out of the Rising Star's docking bay. They flew away from the ship before the pilots turned toward the planet bringing the small image of the rising star into view at the corner of the window. They could still make out the missiles heading toward the ship and a few seconds later there was a white flash of light as the Rising Star exploded.

Elizabeth turned her head away from the view outside the window and toward John. He glanced at her for a moment before turning his attention back to the window. The shuttle began descending through the atmosphere and whoever had been firing at the Rising Star turned their attention on the shuttle. The first impact made the shuttle lurch violently as they continued to descend. They barely had time to feel the second impact before several explosions ripped through the shuttle sending it crashing to the ground.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

**Steph7085** – Thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked the opening line of the last chapter and that you're enjoying the story. I hope you enjoy this chapter too. 

- - -

Chapter 7

John awoke to the smell of smoke and burnt metal, there was a sharp pain in his arm and another one around his rib cage. He opened his eyes slowly wincing at the new pain he discovered in his head. He tried to sit up only for something to tighten around his chest and hold him in place. Looking down he realised part of the strap that had held him in place on the shuttle was still wrapped around his chest and attached to the back part of his chair that was currently pressed against his back. Discovering it wasn't going to release him willingly he reached down into his boot and pulled out the combat knife that was fortunately still firmly strapped in place. He cut the strap from around his chest and made another attempt to sit up.

His first priority was the seething pain in his right arm and he looked down at it to see the piece of glass, probably from the shuttles front window, lodged there. He pulled it out slowly clenching his teeth together as he did so before he stood up. The area around him was partially on fire and there were bits of the shuttle everywhere, in fact it appeared as of there was more than one shuttle, at least two maybe three. Dead bodies littered the ground of the men and women who hadn't been fortunate enough to survive the crashes. Some of the survivors were helping the more seriously injured as the Rising Stars doctor – who fortunately seemed to have only suffered minor injuries – did what he could to help.

John's mind was on only one thing, finding Elizabeth. He'd obviously been thrown clear of the crash site so there was no telling where she had ended up. He walked through the crash site, past the smoke, the fires and the bodies. He saw the red sleeve of the top she had been wearing that day and quickly made his way over to it. He moved the thin piece of metal that had landed on top of her to reveal her hopefully unconscious body. Dropping down beside her he turned her onto her back and placed two fingers on her neck letting out a sigh of relief when he found strong steady pulse.

"Elizabeth," he choked out placing a hand on the side of her face and when she didn't respond he coughed to clear his throat and tried again. "Elizabeth," this time his voice came out stronger and she shifted slightly before opening her eyes. She looked confused for a moment until her disorientation passed and her memories came back to her.

"John?" she questioned as she forced her eyes to focus and he nodded his head.

"You okay, anything broken?" he asked as he helped her sit up and she did a quick mental scan of her body and found she was in massive amounts of pain but nothing was broken.

"I'm fine," she told him and he moved his hand to trace the cut on her head as he determined how bad it was. He relaxed when he realised it wasn't too serious and in fact she seemed to be less injured than him. He helped her to her feet and she took in her surroundings. Her eyes landed on one of the dead before moving to another body and another before she had to look away. She turned her head into John's shoulder and it only occurred to him now that she had probably never seen a dead body before and now she was faced with dozens of them.

He placed a hand on the small of her back whilst her head was still on his shoulder and he slowly guided her away from the majority of the wreckage and the dead. He saw the vehicles approaching and his hand instinctively reached for his missing weapon. Fortunately as the vehicles got closer he recognised them as belonging to the Alliance.

The cars stopped near him and the Alliance officers began heading into the crash site to offer their assistance. There was one Agent heading in their direction and John recognised him immediately.

"Marcus," he greeted and the man nodded in acknowledgement.

"You alright?" he questioned as he glanced them both over for injuries.

"We're fine, what happened?" John asked and Marcus turned and headed back toward one of the cars with John and Elizabeth following quickly.

"I'll explain back at base," he said before glancing over at the crash site and gesturing for the Rising Stars doctor to join them.

"I'm needed here," the doctor replied and Marcus shook his head.

"It's fine Carson the other doctors will take care of it from here, lets go," he instructed and Carson offered no more protest as he got into the front of the car with Marcus. John opened the back door of the large vehicle and helped Elizabeth to climb up the large step to get inside before he joined her.

Marcus started the vehicles engine and drove the car back in the direction it had come from. "So this must be Elizabeth Weir," he stated as he looked at Elizabeth through the rear view mirror. Elizabeth who had been staring out of the window distractedly snapped her head round to look at him.

"I am," she replied after a moment.

"Marcus Lorne, nice to meet you," he greeted and Elizabeth didn't even bother to force a smile she just nodded her head in acknowledgement of his words and went back to staring out of the window. She watched the trees at the side of the dirt road as they passed by the car and it seemed like an eternity before they got to the Alliance base and John was helping her out of the car.

They followed Marcus and Carson into the large building and through the many corridors to a small room. It had a few couches and what looked like some kind of game boards set up around the room. Marcus opened up a cupboard at one end of the room taking out a box and handing it to Carson. Elizabeth wasn't even paying attention to what was going on, she couldn't get the images of the crash site and the dead bodies out of her mind. She shuddered slightly and John who was standing right next to her seemed to notice. He once again placed his hand on the small of her back in a reassuring gesture that was more comforting to her than it probably should have been. Marcus gestured for them to sit down and John guided her over to one of the couches where they both sat but he didn't remove the hand from her back.

"Alright Marcus, you want to tell me what the hell happened?" John questioned as Carson began fussing over the wound in his arm. John allowed him to do whatever he wanted to unhindered as he focused his attention on Marcus's reply.

"It was the rebels, they've been getting more and more violent and have ignored all our attempts to talk to them. We got word that they'd gotten hold of some heavy weaponry but we weren't sure about it until today. The missiles originated just outside of their campsite on the outskirts of the city," Marcus began to explain and John winced slightly as Carson cleaned his cut before moving onto Elizabeth.

She flinched as Carson reached toward the cut on her head and John moved his hand up her back slightly to calm her. She allowed Carson to clean her own cut as Marcus continued to explain the situation to John. "All we can do is try to talk to them again," John explained. "They know they have our attention now so maybe they'll be willing to talk."

"They've never been real receptive to our people," Marcus replied.

"So we don't send in a bunch of people armed to the teeth, we go ourselves and carry only our handguns. Maybe they'd be more willing to talk if we don't look like an assault team," John suggested thoughtfully and Marcus nodded his agreement before standing up.

"I'll go tell the base commander," Lorne stated and turned to leave.

"All done," Carson announced to Elizabeth "Do you have any other injuries?" he asked them both receiving a no from John and a shake of the head from Elizabeth. Carson accepted their answers and followed Marcus out of the room leaving John and Elizabeth alone.

"Are you okay?" John asked turning to her and Elizabeth looked up from the spot on the floor she'd been staring at.

"I've never seen dead bodies before," she told him shakily and John moved his hand in a comforting circular pattern on her back.

"Losing people never gets any easier but seeing the bodies does, it'll get better," he promised her she could only nod her head in response "You can stay here whilst I go talk to the rebels if you want," he informed her and she shook her head emphatically at thought of him leaving her on her own here.

- - -

Marcus stopped the car just outside the rebel camp and he, John and Elizabeth got out and headed toward the gate in the makeshift wall. Night had fallen about an hour ago leaving only the stars and the light from the camp to illuminate the area. Elizabeth stayed close to John as they approached the guards who quickly drew their weapons. She unconsciously stepped closer to John who gave her a reassuring smile before turning his attention to the guards.

"Who are you?" one of the men asked.

"Agents Lorne, Sheppard and Weir of the Alliance," Lorne told them and Elizabeth was surprised to be once again referred to as an Agent.

"Alliance scum, perhaps you should turn around and go back to your Alliance base," the guard spat out in disgust.

"We only want to talk," John stated.

"Relinquish your weapons and we will escort you to the leaders," the guard instructed and Marcus shook his head.

"Not a chance, we only have our handguns with us and we're keeping them," Marcus informed him and the guard looked thoughtful for a moment before replying.

"Very well, this way," he said and the three of them followed him through the tents at gun point. John kept Elizabeth slightly in front of him the entire time with Marcus a few steps ahead of her, the two of them flanking her protectively "Wait here," he ordered before entering one of the tents and Marcus turned to John.

"I just hope he's not setting up an ambush inside," Marcus joked but his words did nothing to help the fear coursing through Elizabeth's body. Once again she found herself stepping closer to John. The man reappeared once more and held the flap of the tent open for the three of them to step through. Inside the tent was illuminated by several lanterns places strategically around the tent. Besides the guards around the edges there were five other people who were obviously the leaders.

"Well, well, the Alliance must finally be taking us seriously if they're sending three of there prestigious Agents into our midst," one of them, a well built middle aged man with dark brown hair and brown eyes commented and Marcus cocked his head thoughtfully for a moment.

"Arvin, didn't I arrest you last week?" he questioned receiving a shrug from the other man.

"Didn't stick," he replied "Now what do you want here?"

"To talk," John answered.

"Talking has never got us anywhere," Arvin stated flatly and their were several murmurs of agreement from the other leaders.

"You'll never get anything from us if you're no longer prepared to sit down and talk," John informed them.

"What exactly is it that you want from us?" Marcus questioned and the leader seemed to study them for a moment as if trying to judge whether talking to them would actually help.

"We want more supplies, more shipments of food and clothing. We weren't given enough after the earthquake that destroyed most of our factories and farms," Arvin told them "and that's just the start."

"The Alliance gave you everything they could spare at the time however I'm sure we can reach an agreement that will more successfully meet your people's needs but you have to be willing to compromise. Now you have to stop attacking us, we lost a lot of good people today when you blew up our ship. We can't get any supplies in here if you blow every alliance ship that a comes here out of the sky," John explained and Elizabeth was slightly awed by how easily he was able to talk to these people who a few hours ago had nearly killed them both.

"It is the only way we can get your attention," Arvin protested.

"You already had our attention which is why we were on our way here aboard the ship you destroyed. You have our attention so there's no need for anyone else's life to be lost over this. No more bombings, no more firing missiles at unsuspecting ships and the Alliance will continue to negotiate an agreement with you. Do we have a deal?" John asked and Arvin turned to the other leaders, the five of them whispered among themselves for a few minutes before finally turning back to them.

"You have a deal, we'll stop our attacks as long as the Alliance negotiates seriously with us," Arvin stated and John nodded in acceptance.

"A negotiations team will arrive in a few days," John replied which seemed to be acceptable to the rebellion leaders.

"Guards," Arvin called and two armed men walked into the tent. "Please escort our guests off the base."

Marcus, Elizabeth and John followed the two guards back toward the entrance they had used earlier. None of them relaxed until they were back in their vehicle driving away from the rebels. When they arrived back on the Alliance base the building was still abuzz with activity despite the late hour. Marcus walked away to talk to a young woman that was sitting at a desk, Elizabeth couldn't make out what they were saying but from the look on Marcus's face as he walked back toward them it hadn't been a nice conversation.

"We have the final count on the survivors," Marcus stated solemnly "Out of the 634 people on the Rising Star, including the two of you, we have nineteen survivors and three of them are in critical condition."

"Damn," John cursed under his breath as the three of them made their way through the corridors of the building.

"We have some quarters set up for you for the night and a ship will transport us all back to Alliance Headquarters tomorrow," Lorne informed them as they entered a small elevator. He pushed the button for the fourth floor and a few moments later the doors opened onto a relatively empty corridor. "Miss Weir," you'll be in here and John you're next door. I'll see you both in the morning," he told them before walking away probably to his own room.

"Are you okay?" John asked her for the third time that day.

"A little shaken up," she admitted "But I'll be fine, thank you."

"Goodnight Elizabeth," he said quietly before walking the short distance to his own room. Elizabeth turned and walked into the small bedroom, it was decorated with plain cream coloured walls and carpet and the only furniture was a bed and set of draws. There were two sets of clothes on the bed, one was clearly for her to sleep in and had a tooth brush and a few other toiletries resting on top of them, the other was for her to wear tomorrow. It only occurred to her now that she had lost all of her things aboard the Rising Star.

She placed the clothes for tomorrow on top of the draws and picked up the pyjamas before heading through a door into the tiny bathroom. She changed quickly and brushed her teeth before running a comb through her seriously tangled hair. She returned to the bedroom and climbed into bed continuing to ignore the pain her body was in from the bruises she'd sustained in the crash. Her head was still pounding and she knew her sleep would be plagued by images from the crash site. She was too tired to try and stay awake though and within seconds of her head hitting the pillow she was asleep.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

**Steph7085 – **Thanks for the review, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Fyd818 – **I'm glad you liked the last two chapters, the image of Teyla shooting Ronon with a peashooter popped into my head for some inexplicable and probably insane reason and the wouldn't leave, so I decided to put it in the story. John subtly comforting Liz after the crash just seemed like something he'd do so I'm glad you liked that part. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Whirlwind-2005 – **I'm glad you're enjoying the story and I hope you like this chapter too, thanks for the review.

- - -

Chapter 8

After being left in her cell for over forty eight hours Ronon had returned for Teyla that morning. She had gone to the gym without protest and begun her training. She was finding it easier now than she had before. Ronon was still beating her easily but their sparring sessions weren't tiring her out as quickly and her body didn't ache as much afterwards.

She dodged Ronon's fist but was quickly brought to the ground when his foot kicked her legs out from under her. She laid on the floor taking a moment to catch her breath as Ronon loomed over her and held his hand out to her. She accepted it grudgingly and allowed him to help her back to her feet.

"You took your eyes off me," he chastised and Teyla was about to respond when she saw something in the corner of her eye. She froze when she realised what it was, the man from Corlain was standing by the door in the corner of the room watching them from the shadows.

"Just ignore him," Ronon instructed her having known he was there all along but when Teyla didn't look away from Kolya he sighed and turned to the intruder.

"Kolya, get out of here," she shouted and the man finally stepped out from the darkness he was using as cover with a malicious smile on his face. He approached Teyla and it took every bit of strength and will power she had not to step back from him.

"I have to say you are making progress," he told her coming to stop in front of her and far closer than she was comfortable with. "It is a shame Tenal did not recognise your potential before I killed him."

Sadness was the first emotion to hit her and as fast as it appeared it morphed into anger and she had to force herself not to lunge at him right there. Ronon seemed to sense her struggle because he immediately stepped forward and gently took hold of Teyla's elbow moving her behind him and stepping closer to Kolya. "This is a private training session, get out of here," Ronon instructed the smaller man.

"This is my ship Dex, I can go wherever I want," Kolya informed him calmly.

"Well then, perhaps the Admiral would like to know about you interrupting the Electus's training," Ronon threatened and anger passed through Kolya's eyes. He turned to leave stopping at the door and turning to glare at Ronon.

"I will get her, make no mistake about that," he stated before he left and the doors closed automatically behind him. Teyla continued to stare at them for several moments before Ronon's voice brought her back to reality.

"Are you alright?" he questioned his voice was almost emotionless but Teyla was sure she could here the tiniest hint of concern.

"I am fine," she replied "Shall we try again?" she asked and Ronon studied her curiously for a moment before nodding his head and moving into position. Now that she had met Kolya she was certain she did not want to end up being handed over to him, it was reason enough for her to put all of her effort into these training sessions. She didn't want to give the Admiral any reasons to take her out of Ronon's custody and if this was the only way, then so be it.

- - -

The three day trip back to Atlantis had been relatively uneventful. John had put a halt to her training whilst both their bodies recovered from the crash though he had used the time to get ahead in her studying. By the time they made it back to Alliance headquarters she had read through all of the files he'd given her. Marcus and Carson had both accompanied them on their journey and both of them turned out to be genuinely nice guys.

John and Marcus had been summoned by the Council only minutes after they had landed and both men had promised to meet her and Carson in the cafeteria for lunch. So she'd spent the last hour with Carson as he told her stories from his past and despite herself Elizabeth found herself sharing bits of her own past. There was a sadness in her voice though as she spoke, the two people who featured most highly in her memories were both gone, one of them dead and the other missing.

She wondered again what had happened to Teyla, had she got away or had she been killed too. There was no way for her to know and she just wished she could have some answer, some closure so that she could stop thinking about it constantly. She hadn't eaten much since they had left Malnar and despite John and Carson telling her she needed to eat she just couldn't find her appetite. Even now she was merely pushing her food around her plate with her fork.

Carson gave her a disproving look and she forced herself to eat a mouthful of the food. "You really have to eat more love," Carson informed her.

"I know," she told him forcing yet another bite down her throat.

"It's always hard at first but it'll get easier," he promised and Elizabeth nodded her head.

"So John keeps telling me," she replied just before John and Marcus walked into the room and dropped down at the table with them.

"Negotiation team arrived on the planet this morning, apparently things are going well," Marcus stated as he tried to steal the fries on Carson's plate.

"Get your own lad," Carson stated moving his plate away and Marcus rolled his eyes as he stood up.

"You coming John?" he asked and John stood back up again to follow Marcus to the cafeteria queue. Elizabeth watched them go before turning her attention back to her food and continuing to force herself to eat. Ten minutes later the two men arrived back with their own meals and she saw John glance at her plate to ensure she was eating before he ate his. The three men talked about completely random things throughout the meal until Elizabeth had finished.

"The memorial for the Rising Star's crew is next week," John finally stated. He hadn't wanted to mention it whilst Elizabeth was eating so that he wouldn't chase away her appetite even more.

"We lost a lot of good people aboard that ship," Carson commented his expression becoming sad at the thought of the friends he had no doubt lost.

"You'll be pleased to know the three critical patients on Malnar pulled through, they'll be transported back here in time for the memorial," Marcus added receiving an acknowledging nod from Carson.

"Alright well I'm going to turn in early," John announced turning to Elizabeth "You should too, we start training again in the morning."

"Okay," Elizabeth replied as she cleared her things from the table and followed John out of the cafeteria. He left her outside her quarters and Elizabeth watched him leave towards his own which were on a higher floor.

- - -

John arrived for her at 10AM the next morning but instead of taking her to the gym where he usually trained her he went in a different direction. She found herself in what looked like a firing range and Elizabeth froze as they entered the room. She had known this part of her training was coming but she had never liked guns. Tenal had owned one, as had many of the people on Corlain and she had seen what they could do to people, she didn't want to be the type of person who could do that.

"Elizabeth?" John asked in concern when she didn't move from the doorway.

"I don't like guns," she told him hoping he would just leave it at that and take her to the gym instead.

"You need to learn how to use these," he told her "It's part of the job."

Elizabeth nodded slowly and took several steps toward him where he was standing at one end of the rage with a small box in his hand. He opened it and took out the handgun which was identical to his own. He showed her how to load it and how to switch the safety on and off before he put it down on top of the box. He handed her a set of ear muffs before he put his own on and then picked up the gun again, aimed it and fired. She saw the bullet hit the centre of the target at the other end of the firing range and she briefly wondered how many times he'd had to fire a gun to have aim that good, he barely looked like he'd had to try.

"Your turn," he told her and she took the gun from his hand and stood in front of the target. She raised her hands shakily and fired for the first time, the bullet flew down the range impacting the edge of the target. "Okay good, do it again."

Elizabeth did as instructed firing the gun again and again until it was empty. John handed her an ammo clip so she could reload on her own before he told her to fire again. Her aim was definitely off, half the time she was missing the target completely and the other half she was barely hitting the edge. It was beginning to frustrate her by the time they got round to the third round of ammo. John replaced the target with a fresh one that had no bullet holes in it and turned told her to fire again.

The bullet once again impacted the edge of the target and Elizabeth sighed in frustration. "Alright relax," John told her stepping up behind her. He placed his hands on her hips and turned her body slightly so that she was facing the target dead on. He then moved his hands to her arms and lifted them so she was holding the gun in front of her. His hand then moved down her arms to her hands which were still somewhat shaky.

"Steady your hands," he instructed his lips so close to her she could feel his breath just below the earmuffs that were protecting her ears from the noise. "Take a deep breath and squeeze the trigger, don't pull it."

His hands were still on hers when she fired the weapon and this time managed to hit one of the inner circles on her target. She smiled when she saw it and turned her head toward John realising his face was only an inch from hers. They both stood there for several moments before John finally broke the moment and stepped away from her.

"Okay now do it again on your own," he told her and Elizabeth nodded as she turned back to the target. This time when she raised her hands they weren't shaking and she once gain took a deep breath and fired. She didn't hit the target as close to the centre as she had when John had been helping her but she did at least hit the inner circles instead of the edge.

Her aim had improved considerably when John finally called it a day and took her to the cafeteria for lunch. Her arms and shoulders were aching but she felt better than she had in a while. John surprised her after lunch by telling her he was taking her shopping since she'd lost all of her belongings on Corlain and the few things she'd obtained since then were lost aboard the Rising Star.

He took her to Atlantis's market where there were hundreds of stalls lining the streets. It was far bigger than the market on Corlain and Elizabeth found herself being distracted from her quest for clothes on more than one occasion. John was clearly not having as much fun as she was, even though he'd been the one to suggest shopping.

"What's wrong?" she asked him "Don't like shopping?"

"I hate shopping," he replied simply and Elizabeth smiled.

"But it was your idea," she informed him and he merely shrugged.

"You needed some new clothes and we had nothing else planned for the afternoon," he told her and without thinking Elizabeth linked her arm with his to drag him off to another stall. John was so surprised by the action he didn't put up any resistance despite the fact that it wasn't a clothes stall.

Elizabeth looked at all of the books that were displayed glad that everything she was buying was being charged to the Alliance. She picked out book and bought it before John could even register what she was doing. When his senses finally came back to him he narrowed his eyes at her. "You know the Council's going to chew me out about your spending habits," he told her, only half of what she'd bought were clothes and even some of those weren't necessary. He took the latest bag from her and placed it in his other hand with all the other bags noticing how heavy the load was getting.

"I think that's enough for today," he announced and Elizabeth looked at him slightly dejected for a moment.

"One more stall?" she questioned and John took one look at the pleading look in her eyes and prayed she didn't use it on him too often because it made it impossible for him to say no.

"One more," he told her firmly rewarded by the smile that spread across her face as she went in search of the final stall she was allowed to visit.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

**Steph7085 – **I'm glad you like the way the relationships are building up and the dynamic between Ronon and Teyla. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Fyd818 – **I wouldn't mind having Ronon as my trainer either lol. I'm glad you liked the scene where they were sparring and Kolya gives me the creeps too. The scene in the shooting range was my favourite part of the last chapter. I've had that scene in my head for ages and I'm glad I finally got to write it and you're right, John and Liz are just so adorable together lol. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Whirlwind-2005 – **Thanks for the review, I'm glad you like the story and the John Liz parts. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

- - -

Chapter 9

It had been a little over a week since the Rising Star had been destroyed, the memorial service had been a few days ago and Elizabeth, John and Marcus had attended it along with Carson. It had been difficult for Elizabeth to see all the grieving families of the people that had been lost but she had gotten through it. Her training was progressing well; she was stronger and faster now than she had ever been in her life. Her aim with the various weapons John had been teaching her to use had improved massively and she'd also begun hand to hand combat.

She was now in what was called scenario training; they used various training grounds to set up different scenarios that Elizabeth had to get through successfully. Some of the scenarios she did alone, a few of them were with John and even Marcus had gone through them with her a couple of times. She was currently trying to make it through a forest scenario, the woods they were using were owned by the Alliance. She stepped over a tree root and then ducked under a low branch. Despite the fact that she had to make it through this without help she knew John wouldn't be far away. He was playing bad guy in this scenario along with Marcus and they were both no doubt looking for her. All she had to do was locate the tree that had a red flag attached to it and untie the flag, once she had possession of it she won. Unfortunately she had John, Marcus and a bunch of automated drones trying to prevent her from doing that.

A movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention and she stopped moving. She dropped to her knee, tightening her grip on the gun in her hand and scanning her surroundings for any sign of a threat. She spotted the drone hovering a few feet away using one of the trees as cover. She moved to get a better shot at it and fired several times, the low intensity laser shot out of the end of the gun impacting the drone which registered the impacts and sunk to the ground.

She barely had time to enjoy the small victory before she felt the impact and subsequent heat that came with being hit by one of the lasers. She turned around and saw John standing amongst the trees his weapon still aimed at her and a victorious grin on his face. She sighed as the bushes beside her rustled and Marcus stepped out of them. He quickly took in the scene before him and smiled "Yay, we win."

"I didn't even hear you come up behind me," she stated in frustration.

"That was the idea; you need to be aware of your surroundings every second. As soon as you had eliminated the drone you should have ensured there were no other hostiles in the area," John informed her and Elizabeth nodded slowly in understanding.

"Agent Sheppard, come in," John's radio crackled to life and John reached to remove the device from his belt.

"Sheppard here," he responded.

"The Council wants to see you and Agent Lorne immediately," the voice told him and John gave another quick reply before returning the device to his belt.

"We'd better head back," John stated receiving two nods as the three of them started to make their way to the edge of the wood where their vehicle was parked.

- - -

John walked into his office where Elizabeth was sitting behind his desk playing with his glass paper weight. He'd told her to wait in his office for him whilst he and Marcus went to see what the Council wanted. She looked up when she heard the door open and smiled when she saw him. He took another step into the room allowing the door to close behind him.

"We have a mission," he told her and she tensed up slightly at his words. He couldn't blame her for being afraid, the last mission she had been on hadn't gone too well and that should have been an easy one. This one however was almost guaranteed to cost lives or at the very least result in several people being injured.

"What is it?" she asked apprehensively and he moved to lean on the desk beside the chair she was sitting in.

"The military have located what they believe is one of the Vernai's largest weapons manufacturing facilities. They want to send a military team in as well as several Agents, that includes me, you and Marcus," he explained.

"But I'm not an Agent yet," she stated fearfully.

"You're an Agent in training and under my tutorship so where I go, you go," he informed her and she could do nothing but nod her head slowly.

"When do we leave?" she questioned.

"Tomorrow morning, it'll probably take us about five days to reach the planet so we'll have plenty of time to prepare," he tried to reassure her.

"What exactly do we have to do?" she asked him shakily.

"Destroy the building," he stated and she nodded once again, she didn't need to ask if there would be shooting involved. She had no problem shooting guns in the firing range or at the drones in scenarios but shooting at actual people was going to be another matter entirely. She wasn't sure she was ready for that; to be honest she wasn't sure she would ever be ready for that.

- - -

Teyla spun away to avoid Ronon's left fist and ducked away from the right one before attempting to hit him herself. He dodged the blow and took a step backwards and Teyla stepped forward to follow him. The fight had been going on similarly for the last five minutes with them both dodging and swinging blows. Teyla finally got an opening and hit the side of Ronon's head; the man only took a moment to recover from the impact before they continued with their dance.

He finally grabbed her right arm with his own and twisted it behind her back. He then put his left arm around her waist as his foot took her legs out from under and he used his left arm to slow her descent to the floor. She landed on her front with him leaning over her back and pinning her to the floor. Teyla tried to struggle free but Ronon held her in place to until she gave up and allowed him his victory. He knew the time was coming where he wouldn't be able to beat her every time, her skills were improving quickly.

He finally released her arm but remained crouched by her side as she rolled onto her back. "You're getting better," he told her and she didn't respond as she sat up and met his gaze. She had beautiful brown eyes, it was one of the first things he'd noticed about her, and they always reflected whatever feelings she was trying to hide, right now it was frustration.

"Just not enough to beat you," she replied.

"Be patient, you'll get there," he stated with a smile which she returned despite her determination not to. Over the last week she had found herself becoming less troubled by her circumstances and was actually beginning to accept them. She wasn't planning to convert to the Vernai but everything seemed a little less bleak. She had embraced her training with Ronon, there was no harm in learning how to fight and Ronon had actually begun letting her out of her cell for more than just training. She had been eating lunch with him in the ships cafeteria for the past few days and he occasionally allowed her to walk the corridors of the ship, though she wasn't allowed to go anywhere without him. Kolya had continued to skulk around and Teyla was just thankful that the Admiral was allowing her to stay with Ronon.

Ronon stood up and offered her his hand which she accepted allowing him to help her up from the floor. "Let's get lunch," he suggested and at Teyla's quick nod he led her out of the gym and toward the cafeteria. She ignored the whispers and the curious glances from the crew, she was already getting used to them and it didn't even bother her that people referred to her as 'The Electus' instead of Teyla.

The cafeteria was busy as usual with groups of people sitting around and the room was abuzz with different conversations. Ronon and Teyla got their meals and sat down at an empty table to eat. She saw Kolya enter the room and was in no doubt as to whether he had followed them. He seemed to be determined to find some reason, any reason for the Admiral to give her to him. Unfortunately for him Teyla was just as determined to ensure he never got that reason.

After their meal Ronon escorted her back to her cell which was now far more comfortable then when she'd first got there. She had better pillows and extra blankets, at her request Ronon had even got her a few books for her to entertain herself with during the hours she was stuck in the small room.

Ronon left her in her cell and headed towards the bridge for his scheduled report to the Admiral. Kolya was already waiting there for him and as he moved to stand beside his fellow commander the screen in front of them flashed to an image of the Admiral. "Report," he demanded immediately and Kolya spoke up before Ronon could even take a breath.

"The Electus is still refusing to join our cause," he stated and Ronon resisted the urge to hit him. "Clearly his methods are not walking, perhaps if I were given the opportunity to persuade her she would be more willing to work for us."

Ronon clenched his teeth together and tightened his fists in an effort not to respond to Kolya's words. He knew exactly what methods of persuasion Kolya would use on Teyla and he knew none of them would be good for her. "Commander Dex?" the Admiral questioned.

"She has a strong will and it will take time to convince her to join us however she is already swaying. She would be a far greater asset to us if she was working for us willingly rather than under threat. Her training is progressing quickly and she has begun to put all her effort into it," Ronon reported and the Admiral nodded slowly clearly deep in thought.

"Commander Dex is correct, the Electus will be more of an asset if she joins us willingly, I will allow you to continue as you see fit," he informed Ronon who bowed his head in acknowledgement. Kolya looked like he was about to protest but thought better of it and merely stood quietly as the Admiral moved onto other business.

- - -

The next morning came far too quickly and Elizabeth found herself boarding yet another ship along with John and Marcus. The Independence was almost identical to the Rising Star and she couldn't help but be reminded of what had happened to the crew of that ship. It took them only a few minutes to locate her quarters, John was next door to her and Marcus was on the other side of him. There were a few other Agents around who Elizabeth had yet to meet and they were all roomed on the same corridor.

She walked into her room and unpacked her things; she'd be living on board for the next ten days so she'd had to bring half of her recently acquired belongings with her. John had told her they'd continue her training on board the ship and she was actually grateful for the distraction it would provide.

It wasn't long before the Captain announced they were prepared for take off over the intercom and after a few moments she felt the ships engines start. A few minutes later John was knocking on her door to inform her that he and Marcus were going for something to eat. She agreed to join them and they made their way to the cafeteria where they got their meals and sat down to eat. About ten minutes into their meal a young blonde woman who was obviously another Agent came and sat down at their table.

"John, Marcus," she greeted as dropped down next to Marcus. "And you must be Elizabeth," she stated reaching across the table to shake Elizabeth's hand. "I'm Laura," she introduced.

"You'll have to excuse her, she's deranged," Marcus joked.

"Hey!" Laura exclaimed throwing one of the fries from her plate at Marcus hitting him in the face and Marcus opened his mouth to say something.

"Alright you two," John interrupted "Let's not start today, I'm not in the mood to play mediator at the moment."

"Kill joy," Laura muttered under her breath receiving a glare from John and Elizabeth could only smile at the three of them.

- - -

The remaining days on board the Independence passed in a blur, between training and watching Marcus and Laura bicker she'd barely had time to contemplate the up coming mission. She met many of the Agents who were along for the mission and found she got along with most of them. There had been relatively few comments about her being the Electus for which she was grateful, it seemed the novelty of it was finally wearing off.

Now she was standing in some kind of briefing room with all of the other Agents and a few military team leaders. On the table in the middle of the room was a map of the area where the Vernai weapons factory was. Everyone was discussing the best tactical approach to the mission; it seemed the Agents were being split up among the three military teams that were going in. She, John, Marcus and Laura were thankfully going in together with one of the teams.

"Our team can approach from the west using these trees as cover," John said gesturing to part of the map "The team using the east entrance are going to have the hardest approach, it's open land, no trees, no hills, nothing that can be used as cover."

"We could have a smaller team create a distraction at the front of the building, draw some of the patrols away from all the other entrances," Laura suggested "If they plant some small explosives in front of this tree line they could escape into the trees."

"I'll take a few my men to the front then," one of the military men volunteered and there were several nods and murmurs of agreement all around the room.

"The team using the back entrance should have no problem, according to the surveillance teams there's very few guards patrolling that entrance but those that are remain close to the door so they'll have to be taken out," another man said.

"That won't be a problem, the tree line is thicker at the back here so we can sniper them off from there," one of the Agents stated and Elizabeth was frightened by how easily these people could decide to kill someone. They talked about it like it was a normal everyday thing to do and for a sickening moment she realised that for these people it probably was. She was training to become one of them, was she going to become as cavalier about killing people as they were?

"Alright, we arrive at the planet first thing in the morning so we should probably all go and get a good night's sleep," a young woman across the table stated bringing the briefing to a close and everyone slowly began to file out of the room. Elizabeth felt the nerves she had been successfully suppressing for the last few days hit her and she had to take a deep breath to calm the butterflies in her stomach.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

**AthosionWarrior – **Thanks for the review, glad you like the story and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Fyd818 – **Elizabeth does seem to going through a rough time at the moment doesn't she? I suppose Teyla isn't exactly having the most fun either, though things are getting better for her. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Whirlwind-2005 – **Rodney will be showing up before long don't worry. I hope you enjoy this chapter, thanks for the review.

**Steph7085 – **Thanks for the review, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

- - -

Chapter 10

The Independence remained a safe distance from the planet so that it wouldn't be detected. The assault teams made their way to the planet on shuttles which landed several miles form the weapons factory. The rest of the distance was crossed on foot and Elizabeth was pleased to see she wasn't quite as exhausted by the time they made it to their location as she would have been a few weeks ago.

The teams moved into position and waited for their cue to enter the building. Elizabeth was currently crouched amongst the trees next to John, Laura and Marcus were a few feet away whispering between themselves. There was an explosion at the front of the building and some of the guards left their patrols to investigate. There were still four men near the door when the team moved in but John, Laura, Marcus and one of the soldiers took them out before they even registered they were under attack.

A young woman knelt down in front of the control panel for the door; she opened it up and started manipulating several wires and control crystals causing the doors to open. They filed inside keeping their guns aimed ahead of them as they made their way through the corridor. It was only few moments before they came under fire and were forced to shoot back. Elizabeth didn't fire her weapon instead she held it tightly at her side; she wasn't going to shoot anybody unless she absolutely had to.

The few patrols were disposed of relatively quickly and the team split into two groups each with three locations to planet explosives in. John and Elizabeth turned right with three of the soldiers whilst Marcus and Laura went left with the other three. Elizabeth stayed close to John as one of the soldiers attached the explosives to the wall and they continued on. The second explosive was planted without any interference from the Vernai soldiers, they managed to reach the final location with just one small fire fight and the soldier got to work planting the final explosive. Before he could finish the Vernai soldiers showed up, John and the other two members of the team returned their fire but one of them got a lucky shot off and hit the man planting the explosive before he could finish. One of the other soldiers took bullet to the chest before the remaining Vernai could be taken out.

John turned to the explosive as the final soldier bent down to collect her comrade's dog tags. Neither of them saw the Vernai that crept into the room and took aim at John's back. He however hadn't seen Elizabeth standing at the side of the door and as she saw him squeezing the trigger she was forced to raise her own gun and fire. The sound made both John and the Alliance Soldier jump and turn around in time to see the Vernai fall to the ground dead.

John looked at Elizabeth who was still holding her gun in front of her; she looked down at the body and was overwhelmed with guilt that she had taken someone's life. She couldn't deal with that now though, they had a mission to complete and there would be plenty of time to hate herself later. Right now they needed to get out of there, footsteps behind them had them all aiming their weapons once again but it was only Laura, Marcus and the rest of their team.

The soldiers moved to pick up the bodies of the two dead soldiers and carried them out of the room. "We have to go, they detonate the explosives in five minutes," Marcus informed them "And I really don't want to be in the building when they do."

Everyone smiled at Marcus's typical comment and Elizabeth despite herself couldn't help but be slightly amused by him. "As much as I hate to agree with Lorne," Laura began "We have to go."

The four of them made their way out of the room following the soldiers that were up ahead. It took them a little over three minutes to get back to the exit and they ran as fast as they could back to the trees and away from the building. The sound of an explosion behind them marked the success of their mission as they continued make their way back to where the shuttles had been left.

- - -

Elizabeth hadn't left her room since the mission yesterday, John knew exactly what was bothering her but he decided it was best to give her some time to herself before he tried to talk to her. Deciding 24 hours was enough he knocked on the door to her room and when she didn't answer he tried again.

"Elizabeth, I know you're in there," he stated but she still didn't respond. "If you're not decent you'd better tell me cos I'm coming in." She still didn't answer him so John opened the door and walked into the room closing it behind him.

It was dark and it took his eyes a moment to adjust to the lack of light before he was able to make out the outline of her form sitting cross legged on the bed. "Elizabeth?"

"Just leave me alone John," she instructed and he could tell that at some point she'd been crying. He wasn't going to be deterred that easily and he carefully made his way to the bed. He sat down on the edge facing her, now that his eyes had adjusted to the darkness and he was sitting closer to her he could just about make out the features on her face and he could see the trails left by recent tears. He didn't say anything he just sat their silently waiting for her to voice what was eating away at her.

"I killed him," she whispered before looking down at the bed as she tried to fight a fresh wave of tears.

"You saved my life," he told her and she shook her head.

"But I took his," she replied "He had his whole life ahead and I took it away from him."

"He would have killed me if you hadn't stopped him Elizabeth, you had a choice to make and you made it," he stated and she finally looked back up at him, a tear finally escaped the dam she was trying to build and slowly rolled down her cheek. Without thinking about it he reached his hand out and brushed it away with his thumb.

"I knew I was going to have to do it sooner or later but…" she trailed off and shook her head. "When you were all planning the mission the other day… you all talked about killing those people as though it was nothing important. It took you all of a second to decide someone had to die; it should be harder than that. I don't want to be like that," she told him and he held her gaze seriously.

"It's not easy Elizabeth, not for any of us. We do our job and if we can avoid killing people we do but it's not always possible. We know what we have to do and we do it but that doesn't mean it doesn't affect us every time," he explained and she stared at him quietly for a moment.

"How do you do it, how do you live with the guilt?" she asked him quietly.

"You just have to learn to deal with it in your own way, just remember that if you hadn't done it I'd be dead now," he told her and she nodded her head in acceptance. "Now, Marcus and Laura are worried as hell about you so why don't you put their minds at ease and come to dinner with us?" he questioned and after several moments she nodded her head again.

"Okay," she replied "Let me just clean myself up."

"I'll be waiting outside," he stated before he stood up and left the room without another word. Elizabeth watched him go, despite her guilt she was glad he was alive and because of that, she couldn't regret what she'd done.

- - -

Teyla was taking a walk through the corridors of the ship with Ronon beside her, she still wasn't allowed to go anywhere without him but he seemed to be more than willing to let her out of her cell whenever she wanted now. As she gained more and more freedoms she found herself getting used to her life here. If she was honest she still felt a glimmer of hope that she would eventually be rescued, the hope was all she had and she wasn't ready to let go of it yet.

"Dex," they heard Kolya's voice call from behind him and both Ronon and Teyla turned to see him approaching with a data disk in his hand.

"What is it Kolya?" Ronon asked and Kolya held the disk up for him to see.

"We just received the security footage of the raid on your weapons factory yesterday," he explained. "We can watch it through here."

Teyla followed the two men to a room down the corridor where there was a large screen surrounded by a few chairs. Teyla and Ronon sat down as Kolya entered the disk into the computer and the footage appeared on the screen in front of them. At first it just showed the front of a building patrolled by several Vernai guards. There was an explosion of camera and several of the men ran to investigate it. The foot age then switched to several Alliance soldiers entering the building led by Alliance Agents. The camera switched again to another group of soldier and agents entering the building though a different door.

Teyla sucked in a breath when she saw who one of the Agents was… Elizabeth. Ronon glanced at her for a moment before turning his attention to the screen again. "Stay with that group," Ronon instructed Kolya who was controlling the footage.

Teyla watched as Elizabeth and the rest of her group made their way through the corridors of the building before splitting into two groups. Elizabeth and a dark haired agent took three of the soldiers with them and planted an explosive device on the wall. They planted a second explosive in another part of the building and continued on until they encountered the guards and were forced to take cover. Teyla was surprised to see Elizabeth pull out a weapon even though she didn't fire it.

Once the group had been taken out they continued to down the corridor and planted a third explosive. Another fire fight ensued as the third explosive was planted and the man prepping it was killed as well as another of the soldiers. The Agent moved to finish setting the explosive as the final soldier collected the dog tags from the dead. They didn't see the Vernai guard enter the room and aim his weapon at the Agent.

Teyla was shocked when Elizabeth raised her weapon and fired it killing the guard. She saw guilt flash across her face but it was gone as quickly as it appeared and they were rejoined by the rest of their group. One of the agents said something and Elizabeth actually smiled. She'd just killed someone and she was smiling at someone's lame attempt at a joke. She watched as the group left the room and made their way out of the building minutes before an explosion destroyed the security cameras.

For some reason Kolya rewound the footage and paused it on an image of the dark haired Agent. "He's the basted that shot me," Kolya said through gritted teeth.

"I'll have to remember to thank him," Ronon retorted before getting serious. "At least we know the Electus is working for them."

"And from the look of it they've trained her up as well," Kolya replied thoughtfully as he shut off the footage and retrieved the disk. "This could complicate matters, I will inform the Admiral," Kolya stated as he stood up and left the room.

"Teyla?" Ronon questioned when she said nothing.

"I want to go back to my cell now," she told him and Ronon opened his mouth to say something but then thought better of it. He stood up and she followed him out of the room and back to her cell without a word.

She paced her cell, resisting the urge to punch the wall knowing she'd come out of it worse than the wall. Elizabeth really was working for the Alliance and she hadn't come for her. She seemed to be adjusting to her new life perfectly and here she was stuck in a cell and being stalked by a psycho Vernai commander who wanted to own her like she was some sort of possession.

She couldn't get over the sight of Elizabeth carrying a gun let alone firing it, she had always hated guns. She'd even argued with Tenal about him owning one and now she was running around with a bunch of armed men and women shooting people. She hadn't even looked that guilty about it, she'd barely even hesitated before she'd done it and then she'd just got on with what she was doing.

How dare she abandon her to this place, she'd just left her here for the Vernai to do with as they pleased. She was nice and cosy in her new life with her new friends and she probably hadn't even though about Teyla.

The urge to damage something finally overpowered and she threw her fist out to hit the wall. She heard a sickening crack as they collided and knew the noise had come from her hand and not the wall. Pain shot through her hand and she cradled it close to her chest as she dropped down onto the bed. She heard the cell door open and realised Ronon had come back, if he had ever left. He knelt down in front of her and took her hand to assess the damage. He didn't say anything as he ran his fingers over her knuckles and stood up.

"Infirmary," he instructed and she offered no resistance as he led her back out of the cell.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

**Fyd818 **– I felt bad for making Liz kill someone but I knew I'd have to do it sooner or later. I'm glad you liked John's little pep talk to her. Things are going to start getting rather interesting on the Vernai side of the war now, especially for Ronon and Teyla. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Steph7085 – **Thanks for the review, I'm glad you like John and Ronon's caring for their respective girls. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Whirlwind-2005 – **Teyla really is having a lousy month isn't she lol? Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

- - -

Chapter 11

After spending yet another night in her cell Teyla's anger had only increased, she couldn't get her head around the fact that Elizabeth had simply abandoned her. The logical part of her mind was coming up with a million reasons why Elizabeth hadn't come for her but the anger silenced them all. It wasn't fair, why was Elizabeth the one who got to live the good life while Teyla was stuck living in a cell.

Ronon had come for her that morning for another training session, they walked to the gum in silence and she immediately began to stretch her muscles before picking up the bantos rods they were now using. She moved into position without a word and a moment later Ronon took up his own position in front of her.

There were a few moments where neither of them moved, they just stood their and studied the other waiting for them to make a move. Teyla was the more impatient of the two of them and she moved first. She swung for Ronon's head but he brought his own arm up to block the hit. The bantos rods collided with a thud, Teyla spun away to avoid the rod in Ronon's other hand and they were once again in a stand off. They circled each other for a minute before Teyla's impatience got the better of her and she once again swung for Ronon, he blocked it and used his other arm to block her next strike.

She swung for him again and he was able to block that one as well and she could feel her frustration with their entire dance begin to increase. She kept swinging for him, her movements becoming wilder and more unpredictable as the fight continued. She swung so hard that when Ronon attempted to block it the stick was knocked from his hand. Teyla dropped lower hitting the back of his legs with her other rod and bringing him crashing to the floor with a loud thud. She stared at him for a moment, shocked and breathless... she had actually beaten him.

Ronon also seemed to need a moment to realise what had happened before he pushed himself off the floor. He didn't know whether or not he was happy she had beaten him. He hated to lose but this moment was what he had been striving for since he was instructed to work with her. Not only were her skills as a fighter improving but her anger was beginning to cloud her judgement and would hopefully help to sway her to the Vernai cause.

"Well done," he said and Teyla looked up from the spot on the floor she'd been staring at.

"I didn't mean to…" she said sounding upset and Ronon chose not to push her anymore that day. He was making progress, real progress and he didn't want to undo it all by pushing her too far.

"We should go and get something to eat," he said and when Teyla didn't respond he took the bantos rods from her hands as well as picking his own up from the floor and placed them back on the shelf where they belonged. He moved back over to her and simply stood in front of her, after a moment she looked up at him and he saw the moment her senses returned to her, he could see the change in her eyes before she nodded and they both left the room.

- - -

The Admiral's face appeared on the screen diverting Ronon's and Kolya's attention from their bickering match. The look on the Admiral's face was enough to tell them both he didn't have good news for them.

"We have a several traitors in our ranks," he told them and they could both hear the barely concealed anger in his voice, if there was one thing the Admiral hated more than humanity in general, it was disloyalty. The Admiral's face disappeared from the screen and was replaced by pictures of three men. "These three men have been giving information to the Alliance, I want them dealt with immediately," he stated as his face appeared on the screen again. "The two of you will travel to the planet Ardelle where the four men are currently stationed and deal with them in the same way we deal with all traitors."

"Yes sir," Kolya and Ronon responded simultaneously.

"Commander Dex, how is the Electus's training coming?" the Admiral asked his anger completely gone from his voice.

"Very well, she is beginning to accept her place here and if her training continues at the same rate she could prove to be one of the best soldiers the Vernai has ever seen," Ronon reported which seemed to please the Admiral and banish all remaining traces of his bad mood.

"This is excellent news," he stated simply.

"I believe that if we make her life here more comfortable she will accept her place here more fully," Ronon ventured and the Admiral looked at him curiously.

"What do you have in mind?" he asked.

"Releasing her from her cell, allow her to have her own quarters and the freedom to do as she wishes, I do not believe she will run," Ronon stated confidently.

"That's ridiculous, she's been a prisoner for weeks now and you think she won't run the first chance she gets?" Kolya questioned incredulously receiving a glare from Ronon.

"She won't run," Ronon replied adamantly.

"Take her on the mission with you," the admiral instructed "Let's see what she does, if she returns with you then she can be released from confinement."

Ronon nodded his head in acceptance and Kolya looked like he wanted to offer more protest but he knew better than to question the Admiral's decision. The Admiral's face disappeared from the screen and Ronon left the bridge without even a glance at Kolya. He wasn't in the mood for another verbal sparing match, he needed to inform Teyla of their mission and then pray that she didn't run. If she did, the Admiral would not only hunt her down and kill her but he'd kill Ronon too, he'd put himself on the line to get her out of the cell, he really hoped he didn't regret it.

- - -

They ran along the path through the forest, their feet pounding on the ground one after the other in a steady rhythm. Elizabeth was amazed that she was able to keep up with him, after all John was in far better shape than she was. It had taken the entire trip back from their latest mission and a few days after that for her to finally come to terms with her actions. She had taken someone's life and there was nothing she could do to change that. In the end, in some twisted way, she knew she had done the right thing. John was alive and running through the forest beside her because she had chosen to kill someone else.

No matter what she had done that day someone would have died, if she hadn't killed that man then John would have been killed and she would have been indirectly responsible for his death instead. She knew that would have been harder to deal with, John was a good man who was doing his job and he'd become her friend, someone she could rely on and being in someway responsible for his death would have been far worse.

John had been a great help, he seemed to know exactly what to say to her to make her feel better. Marcus and Laura had taken it upon themselves to cheer her up though their usual antics were more than enough to do the trick.

Elizabeth and John were a mile into their run when she began to really feel the burning pain in her legs. She pushed through it but before long it was becoming unbearable and she slowed her pace before coming to a complete stop. She bent over placing her hands on her thighs and breathing heavily as she gave her body a minute to recover enough to move. John had stopped as well and he walked closer to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Can we take a break?" she questioned and John nodded moving the hand from her shoulder to the small of her back as she stood up straight. He guided her to the side of the dirt path and allowed her to drop on to the grass that preceded the dense forest that surrounded them.

She sat with her knees pulled up close to her chest and her arms resting over her knees. John sat beside her and took his small back pack off; he opened it and took out a bottle of water which he handed to her before taking out his own. Despite the fact that she felt like she had run across the entire planet she was very pleased with herself. She had come a long way in the last few weeks, she had gone from struggling through her work outs with John in the gym to fire arms training, to hand to hand combat training, to early morning running sessions. Before all this had begun she considered her exercise to be the slow leisurely walk into town once or twice a week.

She'd had such an easy life, never knowing what was in store for her. She wondered what life would be like now if Tenal had trained them from childhood as he was supposed to have done. She would probably have been a completely different person, maybe she and Teyla would have been strong enough to stop the Vernai when they had attacked their home. Maybe Tenal would have been alive and they would know where Teyla was. So many thoughts and questions began running through her mind all at once. She shook them out, they would do her no good now, this was the hand she'd been dealt and she was going to have to do what she could with it. Tenal was gone and Teyla was missing most probably dead and she was here. She would train and she would fight and hopefully one day she'd be strong enough to do whatever it was she was supposed to do. For now though, she just needed to make it back to base.

John stood up and reached his hand down to her "Ready to go?" he questioned and Elizabeth nodded as she took his hand and allowed him to help her stand up. He took the bottle of water from her hands and put it back in his bag along with his own before they continued their run.

- - -

Teyla stepped off the shuttle in Ardelle's space dock. Ronon hadn't told her exactly what the mission was and she just hoped she didn't get herself in trouble. The planet was basically under Vernai control so there was very little chance of them running into Alliance troops and ending up in a fire fight. Ronon had yet to teach her how to use weapons so if this mission did go badly she wouldn't be able to defend herself let alone help Ronon and Kolya, though she'd quite happily leave Kolya to his fate. She mentally chastised herself for the cruel thought, she despised Kolya but there was no need for her to sink to his level.

She stayed close to Ronon as they made their way on to the wide streets of the market place. They walked mostly in silence with just the occasional words exchanged between the two Vernai commanders, some of it Teyla could hear, some she couldn't. After walking for fifteen minutes they finally came to a stop outside what was very obviously a local bar. They walked inside and took up seats in the dark corner of the bar as if hoping not to get noticed. Kolya ordered them drinks though Teyla decided it was best to leave hers untouched.

After a long uncomfortable silence and almost half an hour of waiting Ronon finally broke the quiet. "Are you sure this is the place?" he asked turning to Kolya.

"That's what the file said, apparently all three of them come in here everyday around this time," the other commander replied and just as Teyla was about to ask who they were waiting for the door opened and three men walked in. They were wearing the standard Vernai military uniform though there jackets were undone and their shirts were hanging half out of their trousers. The belts that held their weapons to their sides were loose and barely hanging on their hips.

"That would be them," Ronon supplied quietly as he and Kolya watched the new arrivals. The three men went immediately to the bar and though they seemed to be somewhat wary of their surroundings they were oblivious to the two commanders watching their every move.

"They'll see us coming a mile away," Kolya stated and Ronon nodded in agreement before turning to Teyla. "We're gonna need a distraction."

"Why are you looking at me?" Teyla questioned though she had a feeling she knew where this was going.

"Distract them," Ronon instructed her and Teyla shook her head.

"No way, why do you even need to get close to them in the first place," she asked.

"They have something we need, Kolya and I can't very well do it so it has to be you," he informed her and she gave him a pleading look.

"What exactly am I supposed to do?" she questioned desperately.

"Use your womanly charms," he told her giving her a gentle push off her chair and she stood giving him a glare before walking over to where the men were still standing at the bar. It didn't take much to distract them and they seemed all too willing to help her with her little assignment.

"Hello sweetheart," one of them greeted and Teyla pasted on the best flirtatious smile she could manage.

"Anyone care to buy me a drink?" she questioned and all three men jumped in eager and ready. She saw Ronon and Kolya dodging and weaving their way through the crowded bar towards them. Suddenly there was a loud gunshot followed by a second and two of the men dropped to the floor dead. Kolya and Ronon turned their weapons on the final man who looked fearfully and accusingly at Teyla.

"Where is it?" Ronon questioned him and he shook his head. Ronon fired his gun for the second time, the bullet impacted the man's chest in a small explosion of red and he joined his two friends on the floor. Teyla watched his body fall and stared at it in shock, the rest of the people in the bar had turned to see what the commotion was all about and were now turning back to their own drinks. She knelt down next to the man and picked up the combat knife he would have defended himself with had he had the chance. "Search them," Ronon instructed Kolya who despite looking mad at Ronon for giving him orders did as he was told.

Ronon turned round to leave the bar and Teyla recovered her senses and followed after him. She walked through the door and picked up her pace so she could catch up with Ronon. Without even realising what she was doing she grabbed his arm and slammed him back against the nearby wall placing the blade of the knife she was still carrying against his throat.

"You used me," she hissed angrily "How dare you use me to kill someone."

"They were traitors, they needed to be dealt with," he told her grabbing hold of her hand that held the knife and twisting it away from his neck. He stepped forward pushing himself away from the wall and forcing her small frame backwards. She barely resisted the movement as though she'd had no intention of actually hurting him. "Next time you hold a knife to someone's neck you had better be willing to use it."

Teyla seemed to calm down slightly and though she continued to pin Ronon with an angry glare she allowed him to take the knife from her hand. Kolya picked that moment to walk out of the bar and he gave them both a curious look. "Did you get it?" Ronon questioned and Kolya held up a small disk.

"What is that?" Teyla asked calmly but her anger was obvious in her voice.

"Those three men were selling information to the Alliance," Ronon told her as Kolya moved to walk past them. Ronon turned to follow him and Teyla hesitated for a moment. She looked down the street realising that this was the best opportunity she was ever going to get to escape. She turned to look at the two disappearing forms and in that moment she made her choice. She followed Ronon and Kolya back to the shuttle.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

**Whirlwind-2005 – **The Vernai probably would have hunted Teyla down and killed her so I couldn't have her do that, it would have ruined the story lol. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Fyd818 – **I'm really glad you enjoy my fight scenes; I always get a little worried that they're not descriptive enough or they don't make sense, glad to know they're good. Both Teyla and Elizabeth are making progress, there's a little more of John and Elizabeth in this chapter and things are about to get interesting. I'm glad you liked the part of Trinity that I put in the last chapter and Ronon testing Teyla, whatever gave you that idea lol? Thanks for the review, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

- - -

Chapter 12

Elizabeth stepped over the tree root that tried to trip her over as she made her way through the woodland. She held her weapon more tightly as she surveyed her surroundings for any sign of a threat. John was by her side as they both moved silently so as not to attract attention to themselves. They couldn't afford to get caught.

The sound of a twig snapping caught their attention; it was so quiet they were lucky to have heard it. They both turned in the direction it had come from raising their weapons. Elizabeth glanced at John who communicated his plan to her through hand signals. She nodded her head in understanding and moved away to the right, John moved slightly left as they continued to approach the tree line.

Movement up ahead caught both their attention and they moved to hide behind the nearest available tree. Elizabeth dropped into a crouch behind one tree and turned to look at John who was still standing behind another. She risked a look out hoping that from a lower position she wouldn't be spotted as easily amongst the vegetation of the forest. She saw them, heading this way through the trees; their weapons were poised and ready to take them out. She moved behind the tree again pressing her back flat against the tree trunk.

She used her hand to gesture to John that they were approaching and he nodded his head. His eyes had a focused look in them as he listened to his surroundings trying to judge for himself how close their enemy was. Elizabeth listened as well, not willing to risk another look out from behind the tree. They were quiet; the only thing she could hear was the occasion footstep when one of them stood on something on the ground.

They were close now; she once again tightened her grip on the weapon in her hand as she looked up at John. He waited a moment before giving her a nod and they both moved out from behind the cover of the trees and fired on the two people in front of them. Flashes of read filled the air as the two people were caught completely off guard and lost the fight before it had even started.

Elizabeth smiled victoriously and holstered her weapon as John came over and high fived her. They turned to the other two people who shook their heads in dismay at having lost.

"I think we may need to be retrained Laura," Marcus stated "We lost to a newbie."

"Yeah but the newbie had John so that kind of evens things out a little," she replied smiling. "I have to say, I don't remember scenario training being this much fun."

"Yeah, well we had academy teachers and they aren't exactly known for their sense of fun, just their loud voices and unfair punishments," Marcus retorted before turning to Elizabeth "Well done," he said half grudgingly.

"Thank you," Elizabeth said still smiling.

"It has to be said, you two make a good team," Laura informed them.

"We do, don't we," John quipped but Elizabeth was sure she could detect a trace of pride in his voice.

"Come on, let's go get dinner before John's ego gets any bigger," Marcus joked as the four of them headed out of the woodland training grounds. It took them a little over an hour to make it back to headquarters and they had barely even started their dinner when a young officer walked over to them.

"The council requests to see all of four of you immediately," he told them simply before walking away.

"So much for dinner," Marcus commented as he dropped his fork on his plate and stood up. The others followed suit and made their out of the cafeteria and to the council chambers. The two guards opened the doors to allow them to enter the room where the council were already convened.

"Agent Sheppard, Agent Lorne, Agent Cadman, Miss Weir," they acknowledged and the four of them waited in silence to be told why they were here.

"The cloud has attacked again," one of them stated "The planet of Telanas has fallen victim to the dark force."

"The four of you are to escort the science team to the planet to study the aftermath, they will be on the surface for twenty four hours and you are to ensure their safety," another informed them and Elizabeth noticed John visibly stiffen at their words.

"You will leave aboard the Independence in one hour, dismissed," they were told and Elizabeth, Marcus and Laura all turned to leave the room. John however remained in place and waited until the others were gone before he spoke.

"With all due respect council, I do not believe it is wise to send Miss Weir on this mission," he informed them calmly.

"That is not for you to decide," the leader of the council replied.

"She is not ready for this; she is still unaware of…" John began to protest but was cut of by the council leader.

"And she is to remain unaware."

"Not knowing puts her at greater risk of…" he once again protested only to be cut off again.

"You are forbidden from divulging more to her than we have given you permission to tell her. The cloud attacked Telanas several hours ago and it will take you a day's travel to the planet. The cloud will not be on the planet so there is no need to concern yourself with such things, now you re dismissed Agent Sheppard," the council leaders tone left no room for further protest and John forced himself to remain silent as he left the room.

The others were waiting outside the room for him, Elizabeth looked at him curiously but he chose to ignore it. "We should get ready," he said as they made their way towards living quarters.

- - -

Teyla twisted around to free her arm from Ronon's grasp and dropped to the floor successfully taking his legs out from under him. In a quick and graceful movement she moved to kneel beside him placing one knee on his chest and the bantos rod across his neck. She had won.

"You continue to improve," he told her and she smiled slightly as she removed her knee from his chest and stood up. She walked over to the corner of the room where her bottle of water was located and sat down. Ronon soon followed her picking up his own bottle of water as he dropped down beside her.

It had been three days since her mission with Ronon and Kolya, on her return she had been given her own quarters. They weren't anything particularly special, decorated with plain colours and only the most essential furniture but it was far more comfortable than the cell she had been living in for the past month. She couldn't believe that was how long it had been since the Vernai had first attacker her home on Corlain. In some ways time seemed to have moved so fast and in other it seemed as though it had been an eternity.

She seemed to have gained some measure of trust among some of the Vernai, though she was still being watched carefully she had been allowed to wonder the ship without Ronon. Kolya was becoming more and more irritable, he had taken to showing up wherever she went and though he had yet to try anything she couldn't help but feel somewhat threatened by his presence. She knew he was looking for a reason to have the Admiral put her in his possession so she had been extra careful not to give him one.

"I received a report from my ship today, they are on the way," Ronon told her and she nodded her head slowly. "We should be rendezvousing with them in a few days and then you won't have to worry about Kolya skulking around anymore," he told her as if reading her thoughts.

"That will be a welcome relief," she stated with a small smile. She remembered something she had heard several of the crew talking about and had mean meaning to ask him about it.

"You are not Vernai," she stated and Ronon looked at her in surprise so she elaborated "I heard people talking."

"Well they're right, I'm not," he told her and she regarded him curiously.

"You're human," she said "So why do you work for people who want to destroy all of humanity?"

He looked at her for moment, despite the last month she still carried the naivety she'd had when she first arrived, even if it had somewhat diminished. She still saw the world as good and bad, black and white, she hadn't quite got used to the grey area yet.

"When I was kid my planet was attacked by the Vernai, naturally the Alliance arrived to fend them off but the battle got… brutal. Neither side were willing to give up, my home was in the middle of the war zone and my parents decided it was best if we left until the fighting was over. I was only eight years old and I didn't fully understand what was happening around me but what I did understand was that the man who threw the grenade was an Alliance Officer. He'd been throwing it at the Vernai but he hadn't given a second thought to the civilians that were still in the area. My parents were killed in the explosion," he explained without knowing why he was telling her this. It was a private memory, one he had relived few times and spoken of even fewer.

"I am sorry," she said sympathetically.

"It was a long time ago, I got over it," he stated trying to claw back some measure of his dignity. "I was raised by a Vernai woman who took pity one me, she was not the kindest person in the world but I was raised as a Vernai, not a human and I don't like the Alliance."

Teyla resisted the urge to tell him that he was judging an entire civilisation by the actions of just one man; he probably didn't need to hear that now. He had made his choice, she had made hers and they would just have to live with it.

"Well isn't this cosy," they heard a voice say from the doorway and they both looked up to see Kolya walk into the gym. "I thought you'd be hard at work, training, what would the admiral say if he knew the two of you were slacking off?"

"You really are desperate aren't you Kolya?" Ronon questioned and Kolya turned to glare at him.

"I came to give you this; it's a message from your ship. I knew I'd find you in the gym though I expected you to be training," he said as he handed Ronon the small disk in his hand.

"I'm surprised you even knew where the gym was," Teyla stated and Ronon smirked and nodded his head in approval. Kolya turned his angry brown eyes on her and she was pleased to find she didn't shrink back from him.

"Make no mistake, Electus, you'll be mine and when you are I will take great pleasure in breaking you," he told her as he turned to leave. "In the end you'll be begging me to kill you… just like Tenal."

Something inside Teyla snapped and she lunged forward grabbing his arm and spinning round to face her as she pushed him back against the wall. Her lower arm went across his neck holding him in place and applying just enough pressure to make his breathing difficult. Thanks to Ronon's training and the fact that Kolya wasn't particularly in shape, Teyla was strong enough to keep him in place for a few moments. "Understand this," she hissed "You'll pay for what you did to Tenal."

Kolya finally managed to push her off and she stumbled backwards slightly but kept her balance. He pinned her with an angry glare which he then turned on a very obviously amused but slightly taken aback Ronon before storming out of the room. Neither of them said anything as they too left the gym.

- - -

The one day trip to Telanas went by quickly; Elizabeth had met most of the science team by the time they arrived. The leader of the team was Rodney McKay, he seemed to be brilliant but he was also arrogant, not the most attractive quality in a person. John, Laura and Marcus seemed to know him quite well though and they appeared to be friends so she figured he couldn't be all bad. There was another member of the science team that followed Rodney around everywhere apparently to make sure he didn't get himself in trouble. Zelenka was almost as smart as Rodney though he wasn't arrogant about it, he was actually rather modest.

Carson was also along for the mission, after the destruction of the Rising Star Carson had been assigned to Alliance HQ Medical. The Independence's chief doctor was ill though so Carson had been instructed to tag along. From what she had gathered from his interactions with Laura, the two were a couple but they were quiet about it so she couldn't be a hundred percent sure. She'd remember to ask John about it later.

John for his part had been uncharacteristically quiet for the entire journey. She didn't know why he had stayed in the council chamber after they had been dismissed but she whatever it was had to be the reason for his sudden change in mood. She'd asked him what was wrong a couple of times but he'd just shrugged it off so she'd decided to let it go.

Marcus and Laura had ceased their verbal battles with one another in favour of a new target, Rodney. The three of them had been bickering incessantly throughout the entire journey. For the most part it was amusing but there were occasions where she had to resist the urge to strangle them all. Carson seemed to sympathise with her whilst Zelenka tended to get himself into the middle of it.

The Captain announced they had arrived in orbit above the planet and the small group made their way to the shuttle bay where the rest of the science team we busily loading up their equipment under the watchful eyes of the ships military contingent. Once they were done the teams boarded the five shuttles that were being taken to the planet and everyone strapped themselves in for the journey to the surface.

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

**Fyd818 – **If you don't agree with the council keeping things from John Liz, wait to you find out what they're keeping lol. I'm glad you liked the scene with Ronon sharing his past. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Loserbaby – **Thanks for the review, I'm glad you're enjoying the story and I hope you like this chapter.

**Steph7085 – **Is this fast enough for you lol? Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Whirlwind-2005 – **Rodney, Laura and Lorne just seem like the type to bicker so I thought I'd put that in there. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Suzotchka1 – **I'm glad you're enjoying the story and I hope you enjoy this chapter, thanks for the review.

- - -

Chapter 13

The gentle thud indicated the shuttle had landed and everyone in the rear compartment began to unbuckle themselves from the seats they were securely strapped to. Elizabeth stood up and joined, John, Marcus and Laura at the back door of the shuttle in time for it to open. They stepped out of the craft and onto the surface of the planet. Elizabeth looked at the world around her, at what the dark cloud had left behind.

Bodies littered the streets, the expressions of pain and fear still evident on their faces. Many of them were burnt as though they had walked through fire moments before their deaths and some of them were almost completely stripped of skin and muscle leaving only skeletal remains behind. The blue tinge on their lips of some of the victims gave away the ultimate cause of death though, they had suffocated.

John's hand touched her back as he moved to stand beside her and she released the breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. Even the destruction of the Rising Star and the dozens of bodies she had seen, had not prepared her for this. There were hundreds of people now lying dead at her feat, men, women and worst of all children. The buildings and structures around them were for the most part intact, a few of them had been burnt by fire but they seemed relatively untouched.

"How can one thing cause this much devastation?" she whispered mostly to herself but John answered her anyway.

"The cloud destroys human flesh, when it surrounds someone they can't help but breath part of it in which then destroys their lungs. In the end they suffocate before the cloud can burn and eat away their bodies," he told her solemnly and part of her wished she hadn't asked.

"Rodney," she heard Marcus call "Do what you came here to do, let's not stay longer than necessary."

Rodney didn't respond but Elizabeth vaguely heard him muttering to himself. The science teams unpacked their equipment with the help of the military soldiers that had joined them on the planet.

"Sheppard this is Captain Almos," the Independence's disembodied voice announced over John's radio.

"Go ahead," John said as he grabbed the device from his belt.

"We've detected a few life signs on the planets surface, one of them is a mile outside the city so could you send a team to investigate? We'll take care of the others," Almost requested before giving John the co-ordinates. He made quick work of dispatching a small team of soldiers to go and retrieve whoever had managed to survive the devastation.

Elizabeth watched John walk over to Marcus and the two of them had a quiet conversation. Laura was currently helping Rodney, or rather she was supposed to helping him but was actually just stood there annoying him. Elizabeth put her hand up to her head to fight of the headache she could feel growing there. She felt cold and nauseous but she figured the image of death that currently surrounded her was enough to make most people feel somewhat ill.

- - -

They had been on the planet for several hours, the science teams were hard at work doing whatever they were doing. Including the one near the city four survivors had been picked up. Telanas had not had the biggest population and the majority of people lived in or near the main city. The rest of the planet had been pretty much deserted apart from a few isolated houses; it had been an easy target for the cloud.

John watched as Laura picked up one of Rodney's scientific instruments only for Rodney to snatch it off her and put it down on the other side of him. Laura waited until he had turned back to his computer before she picked up another instrument but this time she walked off with it before Rodney had even registered she'd taken it. Marcus was currently on the other side of the city keeping his eye on the science teams there. Elizabeth had gone with another of the teams to the cities market place so they could take readings, she should be back any minute.

He heard Rodney shouting about his missing instrument but he tuned it out, he knew Laura would give it back to him sooner or later. She might enjoy annoying Rodney but she knew when enough was enough. Zelenka was currently wondering around taking random samples of soil and occasionally nearly tripping people over when he suddenly bent down in front of them.

There was another team of people still collecting tissue, blood and bone samples from the dead and another group were testing the water. He'd seen all of this done only once before when he was asked to escort this same group of people into the aftermath of another cloud attack. That one had been as devastating as this one though the planet's population had been bigger so there were a lot more dead.

The council would send a clean up team in tomorrow to retrieve the bodies of the dead and salvage whatever could be salvaged. They always allowed the science teams to do their work before sending people in to disturb the clouds aftermath. The planet would be abandoned after that until the council decided what to do with it. The worlds of the Alliance were divided in their opinions of what should be done with these planets. Some believed they should be inhabited again and the populations rebuilt, other believed they should be left alone in respect of those who had died.

The sound of footsteps and voices approaching brought John's attention out of his musings and back to reality. He looked up in time to see Elizabeth and her science team returning from their information gathering. He smiled when he saw her but it quickly changed to a look of concern, she didn't look well.

He walked over to her immediately and she flashed him an unconvincing smile as she saw him approach. "Are you okay?" he asked her worriedly.

"I'm fine, just feeling a little under the weather," she told him brushing off his concern but he wasn't so easily convinced.

"What's wrong?" he questioned.

"Just a headache, it started just after we got here but it's nothing," she replied but he wasn't about to take the chance.

"Laura," he shouted and the blonde immediately came over with Rodney's gadget still in hand. "I'm taking Elizabeth back up to the ship, can you and Marcus finish up down here?" he asked and the blonde nodded and started to reply when Elizabeth cut in.

"John, I'm fine, it's just a headache," she protested.

"We're going back to the ship," he told her adamantly, his tone pleading with her slightly.

"We'll be fine," Laura told him quickly before heading over to Rodney to give him back whatever she'd taken from him.

"John, what's going on?" Elizabeth asked but John didn't reply, he just led her back to one of the shuttles and told her to strap herself in. She did so grudgingly, she didn't think a headache warranted returning to the ship but something in John's face and voice told her that she just do as she was told.

- - -

Ronon pressed the button on the control panel beside the door, he faintly heard the sound of the door chime on the other side and a moment later the door opened to reveal Teyla standing there.

"Just thought you might wanna know, my ship will be here for us first thing in the morning," he told her registering the slight look of relief in her face. She had been waiting for whatever Kolya would do in retaliation for her actions in the gym and as more time passed without him doing anything she had been getting more and more agitated. If they were no longer on his ship though Kolya couldn't do anything to either of them.

"That is welcome news, come in," she said gesturing for him to enter her room. He hadn't been in here since he had first brought her here and informed this was her temporary accommodation until they could go to his ship. She hadn't made many changes, there probably wasn't much point considering her short stay there. Her books that he had got for her when she was stuck in the cell now laid in varying places across the room, one of them on her night stand.

The few items of clothing she owned were folded neatly in a corner and he made a mental note to get her more clothes later. There were a few candles around the room that she had requested from him, she seemed to like candle though he didn't understand why. She moved to sit down on her bed and for a moment he was bewildered by how comfortable she had become in his presence. Four weeks ago she had shrunk back from him every time he was in the same room as her.

"I take it the room is comfortable enough for you?" he questioned conversationally.

"Well it's better than the cell," she told him as he took a seat on the chair near the bed. "Do you think Kolya will ever leave me alone?" she asked quietly.

"No," he replied honestly "He's not the type to let things go and he's too used too getting his own way. It'll be easier once we're aboard my ship but Kolya won't let that stop him. The other Vernai commanders will probably show some interest in you too but unlike Kolya they know when something is beyond their reach."

"But am I beyond his reach, it only takes on mistake and the Admiral will hand me over," she questioned and he looked at her curiously for a moment trying to figure her out. Some times she appeared to be amazingly confident and determined and other times she seemed incredibly fragile and uncertain.

"The mission to Ardelle went a long way to helping us, we gave you the perfect opportunity to escape and you chose not to take it," he informed her.

"That was a test?" she questioned a look of realisation on her face "And what if I had run?"

"Then the Admiral would have hunted you down and killed you and probably killed me for my failure as well," he replied and she looked slightly taken aback for a moment.

"That was a big risk you took," she stated.

"I knew you wouldn't run," he responded and Teyla sighed though at what she was sighing he didn't know.

"You killed them so easily," she said quietly.

"It's part of the job," he told her simply and she shook her head.

"Don't you ever feel guilty for the things you've done?" she questioned and he could tell she was still wrestling her own guilt for her small part in the deaths of those men.

"Sometimes," he admitted and she looked at him surprised as though she had expected him to say no.

"So this prophesy," Teyla said abruptly changing the conversation. "This dark cloud that I'm supposed to have power over, what is it?"

- - -

The science teams had finished several hours ago and once they were all back onboard the Independence they had left orbit of the planet. Elizabeth walked the corridors of the ship, her headache had been slowly getting worse and the pain killers Carson had prescribed her weren't having any impact. She'd gone to her quarters to lie down but she hadn't been able to make her aching mind shut off and go to sleep.

John still hadn't told her why he'd felt the sudden need to bring her back to the ship when they still had a mission to complete. It seemed overkill for a headache but she had chosen not to argue over it with him. He'd been behaving strangely since the council had informed them of their mission.

She stopped suddenly in the middle of the empty corridor and brought her hand up to her head. The headache was becoming really painful, the pain suddenly intensified and she had to bite her bottom lip to keep back the sob of pain that wanted to escape, it really, really hurt.

- - -

"We believe it's a living being, though we don't know where it came from," Ronon explained to Teyla who sat on her bed listening carefully as Ronon told her about the dark cloud she was supposed to be able to control. "It's toxic to humans; it burns our flesh and tissue from the inside as well as the outside. The Vernai are immune to its effects, apparently it's something to do with the slight difference in their biology."

"So how is it that I'm able to control it?" Teyla questioned.

- - -

The pain vanished suddenly and Elizabeth felt a wave of relief until she realised she couldn't move. She heard voices behind her and the sound of boots treading on the metal floor of the ship. She tried to turn around but her body wasn't obeying her commands.

The footsteps came to a stop and Elizabeth once again tried to turn around but the effort was futile. Someone was speaking to her, she quickly recognised the voice as Marcus, he was asking her if she was alright. She heard him take a step forward and felt a hand on her shoulder, probably his. That's when she registered something else, a presence; she didn't know how to explain it. Her body finally moved only… she hadn't told it to.

- - -

"From what I've been told," Ronon continued "It's a mental connection, some how you and Elizabeth are connected to it."

"And it's through this connection that we are able to take control of it?" Teyla asked and Ronon nodded slowly.

"But the cloud is alive as well and can resist the connection and the power you hold over it, that's why both of you are needed to destroy it," he told her. "There is one problem though, you have access to this connection but so does the cloud and through it, it has access to you. It works both ways."

- - -

Her body was moving completely without her consent, her head turned slightly to look at the hand grasping her shoulder. She then took hold of it with her own hand and quickly span around lifting the hand over her head before the fist of her free hand connected with Marcus's face. She hit him with a strength she knew she didn't possessed and Marcus fell to the floor in shock.

The soldiers who had been with him quickly sprung into action, all of them pulling out their weapons. "No projectile weapons," she head Marcus shout and though the soldiers seemed somewhat unsure of the order they followed it. They holstered their projectile weapons which unfortunately for them were the only weapons any of them were carrying.

They moved in on her and Elizabeth span out of the way to avoid the first guy who lunged for her and used her foot to trip him up as he passed her. She grabbed a second around the neck and all but lifted him off his feat and slammed his back against the ground. She heard the smack as his head hit the floor with such force it rendered him unconscious; at least she hoped he was just unconscious. She silently screamed for her body to stop and desperately tried to make it obey her commands but it continued with its attack. The third man swung for her but she grabbed his fist with a speed she knew she also didn't possess and twisted his arm behind his back. She kicked the back of his legs and was sure she heard one of them snap as he fell to the ground in pain.

Marcus got back up and made a move towards her but she dropped to the ground and kicked his legs out from under him. He hit the ground with a painful sounding thud as the first soldier who had tried to lunge at her began to get back to his feat. She wasted no time in kicking him in the face and sending him crashing back to the floor.

"Elizabeth," she heard an all too familiar voice say and her body turned round to face the new comer. John was standing there and she tried with all her strength to make her body stop what it was doing. It didn't work though and she felt herself lunge for John but he pulled out his weapon and fired on her. She registered the impact and it wasn't as painful as she'd been expecting. The edges of her vision blackened and the rest became blurry as she felt herself falling.

She felt two arms catch her before she hit the metal flooring and the darkness claimed her.

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

**Steph7085 – **Thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked the last chapter and the scene switching at the end. Hope you enjoy this chapter and on another note, we're going to London tomorrow! Yay for meeting Torri!

**Suzotchka1 – **Wow, thank you, I'm glad you find the story original and I'm doubly glad you're enjoying it. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Whirlwind-2005 – **(joins in screaming) wait I already know what happens lol. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Fyd818 – **I'm glad you liked the scene switching at the end of the last chapter; I envisioned it sort of like a movie lol. Also glad you didn't see the cloud taking over coming. Ronon's confession to Teyla was one of my fave parts of the last chapter and I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

- - -

Chapter 14

Teyla put the last of her few belongings into the bag just in time for the door to chime. She moved over to it and pressed the small button on the panel to open it. Ronon smiled his greeting to her as she stepped back to allow him into the room. She walked back over to her bed and zipped up the bag, she was about to sling the strap over her shoulder when Ronon took it from her.

"Is that everything?" he asked as he put the strap over his own shoulder.

"Yeah," she replied and Ronon nodded before the two of them left the room together. Ronon's ship had arrived an hour ago and was now awaiting Ronon and Teyla's arrival. She couldn't say she was sorry to be leaving Kolya's ship. He would be far less of a threat to her if he was no longer around.

They arrived at the docking hatch where Ronon's ship had joined up with Kolya's. There was a man there that Teyla didn't recognise and she assumed he was one of Ronon's officers. Ronon handed him her bag with instructions to take it Teyla's room, the officer immediately did as he was told.

"Leaving so soon," they heard Kolya say and they turned to see him walking down the corridor.

"Looks like it," Ronon responded and Kolya stopped in front of them looking at Ronon and then Teyla.

"I'll be seeing you," he told them, to anyone else it would have seemed like a simple farewell but both Ronon and Teyla saw it for the threat it was. Kolya smirked and Teyla resisted the urge to hit him just so she could wipe that smirk off his face.

"Hopefully it won't be anytime soon," Ronon stated before he gestured for Teyla to precede him through the docking hatch to his ship. As she stepped onto Ronon's command vessel she noticed it was exactly the same as Kolya's. She heard the sound of the docking hatch door closing before Ronon walked past her and she almost had to run to catch up with him. He led her through the long white corridors and down a few flights of stairs until they reached what she assumed was her new room.

He opened the door and she followed him through it into a room much better than the one she had been given on Kolya's ship. It was larger and slightly more furnished; there were a few things on the bed that had obviously been obtained for her.

"From now on you are free to go and do whatever you want without escort," Ronon told her and she smiled slightly as she nodded her head. "Don't make me regret it," he added as he turned and left her room to allow her to get settled.

Teyla looked around the room at the large set of draws that were fixed into place on the wall opposite her bed. The bed itself was larger than the one she'd had before and as she sat down on it she realised it was more comfortable too. Her bag from Kolya's ship was sitting on the end of the bed next to the other things that had been left there. She looked through her new belongings; there were several sets of new clothes, toiletries and books.

She picked up the toiletries and took them through the door in her room to the bathroom. She placed most of the in the cabinet above the sink and put the rest of them on the shelf in the shower. Returning to the bedroom she put all of her clothes away before placing all but one of her books on top of the draws. As she looked around the room again she realised it could almost feel like home.

- - -

It took her mind a while to realise that it was conscious again and when she finally managed to open her eyes she found John and Carson staring down at her. She looked around her immediately recognising her surroundings as the infirmary. What she couldn't figure out though was why she was here, she wasn't in any pain as far she could tell, she didn't feel unwell and her body seemed to be working normally.

After a few seconds the memories of her last moments of consciousness came back to her. She'd lost control of her body and hurt several people, including Marcus before John had shot her. Hold on, John had shot her; she sat up in the bed quickly and looked down at her chest where she was sure she was going to find a bullet wound.

"Easy lass," Carson said and Elizabeth was silently relieved when she found no bullet wound though she distinctly remembered John shooting her.

"How long was I out?" she questioned.

"12 hours," Carson informed her.

"What happened?" she asked and John gave Carson a look before the doctor nodded and left. "John, what's going on?"

"The cloud took over your mind," he told her bluntly and she stared at him a moment trying to make sense of that.

"What?" she finally managed to ask.

"We believe, though we weren't entirely sure until now, that you have some kind of mental connection to the dark cloud. We think it's what you gives you your power but… the connection works both ways. Some part of the cloud must linger after an attack and when you were exposed to it… it connected with your mind and took control," he explained as best he could.

"You knew," she said after a moment "You knew this could happen and you didn't warn me." Her voice was angry and he could tell she was upset.

"The council forbid me from telling you, that's what I stayed behind for after the meeting," he stated.

"I hurt people," she told him "I could have killed someone or done God knows what else."

"Elizabeth…" he tried but she wasn't having any of it.

"Carson, can I leave?" she questioned and the doctor who had been stood at the other side of the room approached the bed slowly.

"As long as you take it easy, I don't see why not," he informed her and she nodded her head and pushed the sheet of her. She jumped down from the bed pleased to find she was still wearing the clothes she'd had on earlier. She grabbed her boots from beside the bed and yanked them on before walking out of the room ignoring John as he called her name.

She walked as quickly as she could down the corridor without drawing attention to herself. She soon realised that it was pointless since everyone was staring at her anyway; no doubt everyone on the ship knew what had happened by now. She finally arrived in her room and was relieved when the door swished closed.

How could he keep something like this from her, who knew what she could have done while under the clouds control. If John hadn't shown up and shot her when he did she could have easily killed one of those men or anyone else she came across. Again she found herself wondering why there was no bullet wound from where John had shot her. She sighed in a combination of anger and frustration as she dropped down onto her bed.

- - -

It felt almost as if she was back to square one, except without the cell. Everywhere she went people were staring at her, at least on Kolya's ship everyone had gotten used to the Electus being around. Now though she had a whole ship full of people to adjust to and who needed to adjust to her.

She was currently walking through the ship trying to learn her way around it. If this was going to be her home now than she would need to know where everything was. Unfortunately all of the corridors were the same long white hallways and it was easy to lose track of exactly where in the ship you were. She hadn't seen Ronon since he had left her in her quarters that morning and she found, strangely enough, that she missed his presence. She put it down to him being the only familiar face on the ship but she couldn't suppress the annoying little voice in her head that was telling her there was more to it than that.

Teyla quickly shook that thought out of her head before it led her into dangerous territory and she continued to try and figure out exactly where in the ship she was. She finally passed a familiar looking door and when the door opened to allow someone to exit she realised it was the engine room. She'd passed that an hour ago so she was hopefully heading in the right direction to get to her quarters. If memory served her she had descended a flight of stairs shortly before passing the engine so they should be right around there somewhere.

She smiled triumphantly when she located the stairs and walked up them to the next level and down yet another white corridor. To be honest she was getting a bit sick of the constant white that surrounded her everywhere she went. Why she had decided to go exploring in the first place was beyond her, as far as she could tell the ships design was similar to Kolya's, though she had never bothered to learn her way around his ship.

It took her all of a few minutes to realise she now had no idea where she was going. She new she was going to have to ask for help and just hoped whoever she asked didn't stare at her whilst they answered the question, if they answered at all.

"Excuse me," she said to the young female officer who was passing her by. She looked slightly taken aback and then proceeded to stare curiously at her. "Can you tell me how to get to section 14H?" she asked glad that she had made a mental note of the section her quarters were in.

"Erm..." the woman began before she recovered enough of her senses to give Teyla her answer. "Down the corridor, take the first set of stairs upward, follow that corridor and take the third right."

"Thank you," Teyla replied walking in the direction the woman had told her. She finally found herself outside the door to her room and she pressed the button on the panel to open it. She sat down on the large chair in one corner of the room and pulled her legs up so she could rest them comfortable on the chair. She picked up her book that was currently sitting on the small table beside her and opened it to the first page.

- - -

"She hasn't left her room all day," Marcus stated in concern as he, Laura and John all sat around a table in the ships commissary.

"She has a right to be mad, keeping something like that from her wasn't fair," Laura stated with an accusing glance at John.

"The council forbid me from saying anything, what was I supposed to do?" John questioned. "The only reason they even told me was because I'm the one spending the majority of my time with her and therefore I'd be the one in danger."

"Funny," Marcus began "How you were the one in the most danger yet I'm the one who got my ass kicked."

"You're just upset cos you got your ass handed to you by a woman," Laura responded with a smile on her face.

"Technically it was the cloud that kicked my ass, it just used Elizabeth's body to do it," he defended himself and Laura's smile widened.

"Okay so you got your ass handed to you by a cloud, very macho, you should tell all your buddies that story," she said clearly trying not to laugh whilst Marcus merely glared at her.

"I'm gonna go and try to talk to her," John stated as he stood up and left the cafeteria. Even as he walked out the door he could hear the two agents bickering behind him. It took him only a few minutes to make the short walk between the cafeteria and Elizabeth's room. He hit the button to sound the door chime but received no response; he hit the button again with the same result. He wasn't going to be deterred though, they needed to talk about this and he wasn't going to let her ignore him anymore.

He pressed the button again and then again a few seconds after that. He hit it a fifth time and the door finally opened to reveal an angry Elizabeth. "We need to talk," he stated and she remained in the doorway to block his access to her room. "You're my partner, you going to have to talk to me sooner or later, might as well get it over with."

He could almost see her inner battle over whether or not to let him in and for a moment he thought she was going to refuse but she soon stepped aside and allowed him into the room. He heard the door close behind him and he turned to see Elizabeth stood waiting for him to say his piece.

"I should have told you," he said simply after a moment and when she remained silent he continued. "The council ordered me not to, they thought that since the cloud had already left the planet you'd be safe."

"I could have killed someone John," she said angrily "I could have killed Marcus or you or even myself. The cloud could have had me blow myself out of the nearest airlock so I wouldn't be a threat to it anymore."

John had to admit that possibility had never crossed his mind; he knew she could have killed other people but the thought of her killing herself had never occurred to him. Clearly she'd been thinking a lot about this over the course of the day. "I'm sorry," he said honestly "From now on no more secrets," he promised her and after a moments hesitation she nodded her head in acceptance.

"I do have one question though," she said and he looked at her curiously "I remember you shooting me… but there's no wound?"

"Stunner," he informed her.

"Ah, that would explain it," she replied and John smiled slightly.

"Come on, Laura and Marcus are worried about you and you're missing out on the perfect opportunity to tease Marcus about getting his ass kicked," he informed her and she narrowed her eyes at him. "Seriously, Laura's having all the fun."

"Agent Sheppard, come in," the captain's voice came over the radio attached to John's belt.

"Sheppard here," John replied as he grabbed the device.

"You and the other Agents might wanna come to the bridge," the captain stated and John gave him a quick reply of acknowledgement before contacting Laura and Marcus. They headed to the bridge where the captain was giving orders to his officers, he turned to look at them as Laura and Marcus arrived on the bridge as well.

"Agents," the captain greeted "We're being rerouted, the Vernai are attacking our outpost on Karlas."

TBC

**Authors Note: This will probably be my last update for a little while cos I'm going to London tomorrow for a few days. I'm off to meet Torri at the Con (Am I making anyone jealous lol?). I'll try to update before I go tomorrow but no promises. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. **


	15. Chapter 15

**Authors Note: **I'm back from London, the con was great even though Torri wasn't there, I nearly cried when I found out she had to miss it. I got to meet Andee Frizzell though (the wraith queens) she's the funniest, sweetest person ever and I also got to meet Patrick Stewart and buy tonnes of stuff. Anyway onto the story, hope you all enjoy this chapter.

**Steph7085 – **Thanks for the review, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Fyd818 – **Ronon is finally warming up to Teyla and things are going to start getting interesting in their side of the story. Poor Elizabeth's just having a really bad couple of weeks, I feel kinda mean. Glad you liked the bickering between Marcus and Laura and that you enjoyed the last chapter. Thanks for the review. I did have fun at the con thank you even though Torri wasn't there.

**Whirlwind-2005 – **Thanks for the review, you'll have to find out who is attacking the Alliance, hope you enjoy this chapter.

- - -

Chapter 15

The Independence arrived in orbit above Karlas to find several Vernai ships including one command cruiser. There were already four Alliance ships battling the Vernai and more were on the way as the Independence joined the fight. John stood on the bridge beside Elizabeth, Laura and Marcus.

"Incoming transmission," the officer at the communications console informed them and the captain gave him a quick nod. The face of another captain appeared on the screen a moment later.

"The Vernai have sent groups of soldiers to the surface, please send any men you have available," the communication was cut off as an explosion rocked the other ship. The captain opened a comm. channel to the rest of the ship and instructed his military contingent to prepare to head to the surface. He then turned to look at the agents standing behind him; John nodded in understanding of the silent request and turned to leave the bridge with others in tow.

In the shuttle bay the last of the soldiers were boarding the shuttles. The agents quickly joined them and within seconds they were heading toward the surface.

Laser fire and missiles flew past the ship in different directions occasionally hitting the shuttle causing it to shake violently. They made it through the atmosphere of the planet and landed near the outpost. The soldiers quickly filed off the shuttle and waited for orders form their team leaders.

It only took a few minutes to reach the outpost where the Vernai had already made it inside the building. The few Vernai soldiers still outside the building were disposed of easily enough and the teams moved inside splitting into smaller groups. John kept one eye on Elizabeth as she moved through the building beside him her weapon clutched tightly in her hands.

Several Vernai sprung out from around the corner and took them by surprise. They were both able to duck into a nearby doorway in time to avoid the bullets being sent their way. When there was a momentary break in the fire John leaned out and shot two of the Vernai before he was forced to duck into the doorway again. He glanced at Elizabeth who seemed to be debating with herself whether or not to fire on the men, after how she reacted last time she was forced to kill someone he wasn't going to push her.

There was another break in the fire and he once again took the opportunity to take out a few more of them. Before he was forced to take cover he made a quick count of the remaining men. One more break in the fire being rained down on them and John had taken out all of their attackers. He and Elizabeth once again continued on their way through the building.

The sound of weapons fire up ahead had them both stopping again and John motioned for Elizabeth to stay behind him. They made their way slowly and silently down the corridor until they came to the corner and they backed against the wall. John risked a look around the corner to where the Vernai had some Alliance Officers pinned down. Fortunately John was behind the Vernai though he knew he wouldn't be able to take them all out before they turned their fire on him. He turned back around the corner and looked at Elizabeth; he could tell from the look on her face that she already knew what he was going to say. She nodded her head in silent acceptance and lifted the P90 in her hands.

John broke cover and moved across the corridor until his shoulder connected with the wall at the other side. He fired on the Vernai the entire time and beside him he could hear the sound of Elizabeth firing her own weapon. The majority of the Vernai were taken out within the first few seconds and with the help of the officers that were no longer pinned down the rest were taken out easily. The radios that were currently attached to John and Elizabeth's ears so that no one else could here the information that was being relayed between the groups informed them that Marcus's group had taken the main control room.

"_Sensors detect another twenty eight Vernai in the building," _Marcus's voice told them "_Make that twenty seven,"_ he amended.

John and Elizabeth spilt off from the recently rescued officers to continue their way through the building. They were just entering one of the many storage rooms in the building when Elizabeth suddenly grabbed the sleeve of John's jacket and pulled him back through the doorway. The bullet missed him so narrowly that he felt the disturbance in the air it caused as it passed by his head.

"Thank you," he said as he turned to Elizabeth who nodded at him before he stuck his head back through the doorway and made a quick mental scan of the room. He counted four Vernai, two of them to the left of the room, one of them behind a crate in the centre and the final one hiding behind a shelf on the right. He relayed the information to Elizabeth and told her to take out the two on the left since they would be the easier targets.

He silently counted down from three to give her the cue to move and they both moved into the room simultaneously. John aimed his weapon at the man behind the metal shelving as he moved out to shoot the Alliance Agents. He was dead before he had even lifted his gun and John turned his attention to the man behind the crate. Several gunshots from beside him told him Elizabeth was hard at work on her own task and out of the corner of his eye he saw one of the two men she was aiming for fall to the floor.

Concentrating on what he was doing he took several steps to the left until he could see the man cowering behind the crate. The man looked at him in a mixture of fear and surprise though he seemed to get over it quickly enough. He raised his weapon toward John and fired but thankfully in his hurry he missed. The soldier was about to fire again and by the look of it his aim was dead on this time. John was faster though and when he fired his own weapon he hit the man in the head killing him in one shot. He turned to look at Elizabeth who had already taken out the two Vernai she'd been aiming for.

"_The building is clear," _Marcus's voice stated.

"The remainder of the Vernai fleet has left orbit," another voice informed them, most likely one of the Captain's in space. 

"Good job," John told Elizabeth who let out a breath of relief and nodded her head before the two of them went to meet up with Marcus and Laura.

- - -

His long absence from his ship had left Ronon with a million things to do; he'd been in and out of meetings and briefings since his return and was finally up to date on everything he had missed as well as the repairs and improvements that had been made to his ship. His crew had welcomed him with the usual lack of enthusiasm, many of them resented having a human as a commanding officer, not that he cared.

He hadn't seen Teyla since he had escorted her to her quarters; he'd heard many of his crew talking about her so he knew she'd been taking advantage of her new freedom. He felt kind of bad for her; it couldn't be easy to have everyone staring and whispering every time you walked past them. Surprisingly he found that he actually missed her presence somewhat, in the few weeks since her capture she had gone from a stubborn, frightened prisoner to a more confident, capable woman who he was sure would quickly become a valuable member of his crew.

He knew that the people aboard this ship were going to make life difficult for her though. He was their commanding officer so they had no choice but to respect him, however Teyla was not only human but the Electus, the saviour of the human race and he knew she wasn't going to get a warm welcome.

Fortunately however her weeks aboard Kolya's ship dealing with the arrogant commander had helped her develop a tough skin, she would just have to learn how to deal with it.

"Commander, we're receiving a transmission," the officer currently sitting as his comm. console informed him. "It's the Admiral, he's requesting private communication."

"Patch it through to the briefing room," he instructed before heading through the door that led to his briefing room. The long table in the centre of the room was surrounded by chairs and the screen at one end of the room was larger than he remembered it being. His crew must have neglected to mention that to him.

The Admirals face appeared on the screen as Ronon approached it and leant on the end of the table. "Admiral," he greeted respectfully.

"Commander Dex," the Admiral began "I have some troubling information; Commander Vornash attacked an Alliance outpost this morning without provocation or approval. I despise the Alliance more than most but I will not allow unapproved attacks unless it is necessary because the result will most likely be the same as this morning. Vornash has lost three cruisers with all hands and over fifty soldiers in the ground attack. He has wasted my men and my resources and I believe an example needs to be made of him."

Ronon forced his face and composure to remain neutral; he had a feeling he knew where this was going. "What do you want me to do?"

"Vornash is currently en route to the planet Mynar; his ships will be at the repair station in orbit for some time so the Commander and his crew will be on the planet's surface. You are to go to the planet and kill Vornash… publicly. I want it to be known that unnecessary and unprovoked attacks without my authorisation will not be tolerated," the Admiral explained.

"I'll take care of it," Ronon told him ensuring his reluctance didn't show. The other commanders already despised him because of his heritage; many of them already had a reason or two to kill him. Taking out one of their own would only fuel their anger for him and mean he will have to watch his back even more carefully than he already did.

"How goes your work with the Electus?" the Admiral questioned.

"Very well, I am sure she will make a fine addition to my crew," he replied and the Admiral nodded seemingly pleased with the news.

"Take her with you, I believe it's time she began to earn her keep. Remember Commander she is your responsibility," the admiral reminded him and Ronon detected the barest traces of threat in the words. He already knew that if Teyla messed up or tried to run she would not be the only one with her head on the chopping block.

The Admiral disappeared from the screen and Ronon left the room returning to the bridge where he instructed his helm officer to set a course for the planet Mynar. He then left the bridge and headed towards Teyla's quarters. He found his way there and pressed the button for the door chime. A moment later Teyla opened the door and smiled when she saw him standing there. He tried to pretend that wasn't his heart skipping a beat at the sight.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Hey, we have a mission," he told her and she immediately stepped back to allow him entry to her room. He stepped in and she gestured for him to sit down on the chair in the corner of the room as she perched herself on the end of her bed and waited for him to explain. "One of the other Commanders messed up this morning, launched an unauthorised attack on an Alliance outpost and ended up costing the Vernai a few ships as well as a lot of lives. The Admiral wants him dead."

"Please tell me it's Kolya," she requested and Ronon suppressed the smile that was trying to form.

"It's not Kolya," he told her.

"Damn," she replied as though she had been genuinely hoping it was him. "Killing him because he attacked your enemy sounds a bit harsh," she commented after a moment.

"Unless the Alliance provokes or makes an attack necessary the Admiral has to authorise all major attacks so that they can be co-ordinated with the other commanders, it reduces the losses on our side," he explained and Teyla simply nodded her head.

"Just one thing," she began and he waited for her to continue "This time if you're going to use me as a distraction to kill someone could you let me know?" she questioned and Ronon couldn't help but smile.

- - -

John disembarked from the Independence along with Elizabeth, Carson, Laura and Marcus. They had barely stepped into the docking bay when they were approached by one of the Council's aides.

"The council requests to see all of you immediately," he informed them before he walked away again.

"They're always so talkative aren't they?" Marcus questioned rhetorically as he watched the young man walk away.

"What I don't get is why they bother using the word 'request' when we all know that we don't have a choice but to show up," Laura said as they all followed after the young man at a far more leisurely pace. They made it to the council chambers and the two guards opened the doors to allow them to enter.

"Agents, Doctor, Miss Weir," the Council leader acknowledged as the doors closed behind them. "I would like to take this opportunity to thanks you for your assistance on Karlas. Further more… Miss Weir could you please step forward."

Elizabeth looked at John nervously but he gave her look that told her he had no idea what was going on. She finally took several steps forward and took in a shaky breath, she was sure they were going to say something about the cloud taking control of her.

"Miss Weir, due to your exemplary performance on Karlas and the rate at which your training has progressed, you are now granted full agent status. You will continue to learn through experience but your training is now complete."

Elizabeth was rendered completely speechless and she didn't ever realise she'd been dismissed until Laura grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the room. As soon as the doors had bee closed behind them Laura enveloped her in a tight and overly excited hug.

"Congratulations," she said with a huge smile when she finally pulled back. Carson was the next to offer his congratulations along with a slightly less enthusiastic hug.

"This calls for a celebratory dinner," Laura stated "We should go into town, we'll change and meet you at the main entrance in an hour," Laura continued as she grabbed Carson's arm and dragged him away down the corridor.

"Well done," Marcus told her with yet another hug "I suppose I'd better go get ready."

He headed down the corridor in the same direction Carson and Laura had gone leaving John and Elizabeth alone in the corridor. "Congratulations," he said and he too hugged her though he held on a little longer than the others had. "You deserve it," he told her as he pulled back and she smiled gratefully.

"Thank you, I couldn't have done it without you," she told him quietly.

"We should go and get ready, Laura will not be pleased if we're late," he stated and she nodded her head before they both made their way towards the living quarters.

TBC


	16. Chapter 16

**Fyd818 – **Thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked John's close call and things are going to start getting real interesting for Liz now, not that they weren't before. I do feel kind of bad for Ronon but I have some serious plans for him and Teyla that come into play in the next few chapters. (Returns hug) I was so upset when I found out Torri wasn't going but I had a good time anyway. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Whirlwind-2005 – **I'm glad you're enjoying the story and I hope you like this chapter as well. Thanks for the review.

**Steph7085 – **I'm really glad you liked the last chapter, which wasn't obvious by the fact that you squished me lol. More subtle romance to come and I hope you enjoy it, thanks for the review.

- - -

Chapter 16

It had taken a week to get to Mynar and Teyla had used the time to better acquaint herself with Ronon's ship, it was her home now after all. Most of the crew were finally getting used to her presence aboard the ship and the amount of staring and whispering was beginning to lessen for which she was grateful. Apart from when he had come to tell her of their mission she had barely seen Ronon since they'd boarded the ship.

He'd taken her to the gym for a sparring session a few days ago and they'd visited the firing range once. Since Ronon was busy now she had taken it upon herself to learn what she needed to know. She went to the firing range alone, usually in the early hours of the morning, she already knew how to fire the weapons, it was just a case of improving her aim.

The ship finally entered orbit over Mynar and Teyla met up with Ronon in the shuttle bay where his private shuttle was waiting for them. She boarded the small craft and secured herself into one of the seats in the cockpit whilst Ronon took the pilots seat and flew them out of the docking bay and into space. Out of the front window she could see several Vernai cruisers and one command ship. They were all docked with the space station that hovered in orbit and even from there she could see the heavy damage many of the ships had suffered, no wonder the Admiral was mad.

Ronon piloted the ship through the atmosphere of the planet and pretty soon Teyla could see the main city. Ronon flew them toward it and finally landed them in the cities main space port where they both immediately disembarked. Teyla's weapon was holstered at her side, the weight at her side still felt foreign but it was quickly becoming more familiar and comfortable.

"So, how do we find this commander?" Teyla asked as they weaved their way through the busy streets.

"He and his men are staying at a Vernai owned bar," he explained and Teyla nodded her head as she continued to follow him. They arrived at their destination and Ronon held the door open for her to enter before him. Inside the bar was noisier than the busy streets. Most of the men and women were wearing the standard Vernai military uniform. Teyla knew that Vornash would not be wearing a uniform since he was a commander so if he was here he had to be one of those that were in more casual clothes.

"That's him," Ronon stated gesturing to a man in the centre of the room. He looked exactly how Teyla had expected him to look, strong and intimidating, like Ronon and Kolya. It was harder than Teyla had been expecting, to look and him and know that Ronon was about to take his life. She could feel her fear trying to take control, she wanted to run but she knew she couldn't, she had to stay here and see this through.

Ronon made a move toward the man and Teyla followed, she had barely made it a few steps before she felt the grip of someone's hand on her ass. She whirled around and came face to face with the middle aged Vernai soldier that had been responsible for the roaming appendage. Her nerves which until that moment she had been keeping under control suddenly got the better of her and she took it out on the soldier.

She grabbed hold of his hand which had moved to her side when she'd turned around. She twisted it until it was away from her body and the man was clearly in pain. "Do that again and I'll kill you," she told him before turning back to Ronon. He was merely stood there with a glint of amusement in his eyes as he watched her. He didn't say anything, instead he just turned back to his target and continued across the room with Teyla a step behind.

"Commander Vornash," Ronon said as he approached and the man turned to look at him.

"Commander Dex," Vornash acknowledged.

"I have a message for you from the Admiral," Ronon informed him before taking out his weapon and firing a single shot into the commander's chest. Vornash fell to the floor clutching the bleeding wound in his chest. It didn't take long for him to bleed out and within a minute he was dead. The occupants of the bar went back to their drinks and their conversations and the young boy who came out to clean up the body looked only slightly annoyed at having to clean up the mess.

That was that, he was dead, surprisingly she didn't feel the same guilt and sadness she had the first time she'd seen someone die. She wasn't entirely sure what she was feeling, she knew that this was a part of who she was now, she was going to have to get used to being around so much death. Teyla and Ronon made their way toward the door only for Teyla to feel the same hand on her ass once again. She didn't even think about what she was doing, she grabbed the gun that still rested by her side and shot the Vernai soldier in the head.

Ronon spun around when he heard the gunshot and was shocked to find Teyla holding the weapon. She was simply stood there, staring at the body on the ground clearly as shocked by her actions as he was. He crossed the short distance between them and took the weapon from her hand. His movements caught her attention and dragged her eyes away from the body. There were so many different emotions running through her eyes, anger, confusion, disappointment… fear.

"Let's go," he said quietly and put a hand on her back to guide her toward the door. When they got outside she seemed to be almost catatonic and he had to put an arm around her waist to keep her from getting separated from him in the busy lunchtime crowd of the market place. They finally made it back to the shuttle and he sat her down in the chair beside his. "Teyla?" he questioned and a moment later she finally focused her gaze on him.

"I killed him," she stated her voice barely above a whisper.

"It doesn't matter," he told her but it only seemed to make her mad.

"It doesn't matter!" she exclaimed "I killed him, I took his life a way from him for no reason."

"You were still reeling from seeing the commander die, you weren't thinking straight," he rationalised for her.

"That's no excuse," she said her voice returning to a whisper, tears filling her eyes and threatening to fall. Ronon was hit by a sudden urge to hold her, to make all of the hurt and sadness she was feeling go away, however that would be a really bad idea.

"What's done is done, you can't change it, you'll just have to learn to live with it," he told her softly before moving to sit in his chair to fly the shuttle back to his ship.

- - -

"Laura Beckett," Elizabeth tried out the name, smiling and shaking her head at just how strange it sounded, yet at the same time it sounded so right.

"I can't believe _you_ are getting married, the whole concept seems insane," Marcus commented only to be hit by Laura herself.

"So I need details," Elizabeth informed her and Laura smiled in excitement as though she'd been bursting to tell someone but was just waiting for someone to ask. John watched the two women in amusement as he listened to their overly excited conversation.

"It was so perfect, he cooked dinner and there were candle and beautiful music and then he dropped down on one knee and asked, it was so romantic. I was completely speechless at first, I mean I seriously could not talk…"

John could see Marcus biting back whatever comment was currently on the tip of his tongue. As much as the man loved to bicker with Laura, John knew that Marcus wouldn't want to ruin this for her. Marcus and Laura had something very close to a sibling relationship, when Laura had first started seeing Carson the poor doctor had been under Marcus's watchful eye and Marcus had told him in no uncertain terms what the consequences of hurting Laura would be.

Laura looked the happiest John had ever seen her and Elizabeth seemed to be getting swept up in the exuberant blonde's enthusiasm. She'd been with them for over a month and in that time she had become an integral part of this family. Somehow she just seemed to fit as if she'd always belonged there and John took a brief moment to entertain the notion that maybe that was exactly right.

When he'd been told he was going to be given a partner he'd been less than pleased, he was one of the few agents that had always worked alone. Then he'd been informed his partner would be one of the two Electus and he hadn't known how to respond to that. He also had no idea what would have happened if they'd managed to get both Electus. He would probably have been given one of them as a partner, though in that case he could have ended up with either of them. The other would most likely have been partnered with someone else.

Despite his early reluctance to have a partner he couldn't imagine not having Elizabeth around now. He was so used to having her by his side and if he was honest he rather enjoyed having her there.

"So you have to be my maid of honour," Laura suddenly stated and Elizabeth looked rather taken aback, clearly she had not been expecting that.

"Me?" she asked seemingly wanting to make sure she'd heard right.

"Of course you, I was hardly talking to Marcus though I'm sure he'd look great in a dress," Laura told her and Marcus silently glared at her trying not to make comment, it looked like it was taking an incredible amount of restraint.

"But you've only known me for a month, surely there's someone else," Elizabeth stated and Laura shook her head.

"I want you to do it, I have a few friends that I could ask but I really want you to do it," Laura informed her rather adamantly; her voice almost pleading with her. Elizabeth looked uncertain for a few moments before she finally nodded her head in agreement. Laura let out a very un-Laura like squeal which took both John and Marcus by surprise. The two men glanced at each other as Laura hugged Elizabeth enthusiastically.

- - -

Teyla was silent for the entire return trip and Ronon escorted her back to her quarters as soon as they arrived on his ship. He watched her as she wordlessly went and sat down on her bed without even bothering to turn on any of the lights. She pulled her knees up to her chest and for a moment Ronon could see the woman that he had first captured, the frightened young woman who had no idea what was happening to her or why. He was torn between leaving her to sort this out for herself or staying to help but one look at the frail figure sitting on the bed quickly made his decision for him.

He moved over to her and sat on the bed in front of her, her gaze snapped up to look at him. She obviously hadn't realised he was still in the room and for one brief second she looked almost afraid of him again. He knew no words were going to help her right now and to be honest he didn't have a clue what to say to her anyway.

It was impossible to know which of them was more shocked by his actions, he put his arms around her and pulled her into a tight embrace. She didn't cry but after a moment she wrapped her arms around him returning the hug. They stayed that way in silence for what felt like an eternity and when he finally released her she looked at him, their eyes locking and an understanding passing between them.

Sensing that she was going to be okay now Ronon stood up and left the room without a word. He headed immediately to the bridge and then through to his office where he slumped into his chair and tried to figure out what in the universe had made him hug her. When he couldn't figure it out or rather refused to let his mind wonder into the most likely cause, he started to make his way through the mountain of paperwork on his desk.

It was an hour later that the disembodied voice of his comm. officer floated through the intercom "Incoming transmission from the Admiral," the officer told him.

"Patch it through to my office," he instructed and turned to the large screen on the wall beside his desk. A moment later the Admirals' face appeared, his expression as unreadable as always.

"Commander Dex, from what I hear your mission was successful," the Admiral began and Ronon nodded his head "I also hear that one of my officers was killed, I was not told by who only that it was a member of your crew," he continued and Ronon heard the silent question in the statement.

"It was Teyla," he replied and the Admiral looked at him, surprise momentarily flickering across his face.

"The Electus?" he questioned mostly to himself "It would seem you are doing a better job with her than reports would suggest, well done."

"Thank you sir," Ronon responded.

"Perhaps now is the time for her to begin learning how to use her powers, if she can control the dark cloud we can make sure it destroys humanity far more efficiently," he mused and though Ronon wanted to protest that she was not ready he knew better than to question the Admiral.

Once the Admiral had ended the transmission Ronon sighed, he had a feeling his life was about to get a whole lot more complicated.

TBC


	17. Chapter 17

**Whirlwind-2005 – **Glad you liked the RononTeyla hug and the Elizabeth part in the last chapter. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Belanna30 – **Thanks for the review, I'm glad you like the LauraCarson and I hope you enjoy this chapter too.

**Fyd818 – **(joins in chanting) Laura's getting married. I'm glad you liked her part of the last chapter and Laura's comment about Marcus in a dress. And poor Teyla indeed but I think I would have shot that Vernai too lol. Glad Ronon was in character I sometimes struggle to write his more emotional side. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Steph7085 – **I can't write if you keep squishing me you know lol. I'm glad you liked the scene between the Alliance side of the group. Marcus in a dress (joins in snickering). I'm really glad you like the Ronon and Teyla storyline and thanks for the review, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

Chapter 17

The wedding was held outside in the gardens on the outskirts of the main city, rows of white chairs had been lined up for the guests and every chair had been filled. Marcus had been Carson's best man, the two had apparently known each other since childhood. Both men had been dressed in their tuxes and had been stood at the front with the Alliance Council Member that would be conducting the ceremony. John had been sitting in the front row also wearing his tux and watching Marcus trying to calm down a nervous Carson.

Everyone stood and turned their attention to the back when Elizabeth emerged. She was wearing a lilac dress that hugged every part of her figure and reached down to just below her knees. The top of it was fairly low cut and the thin straps ran over her shoulders to hold it in place. John knew Laura had probably been the one to pick it out and he had to admit she had good taste, Elizabeth looked stunning. Elizabeth made her way up the aisle and Laura appeared behind her looking amazing in her white dress. The top part of it clung to her tightly until her waist where it draped loosely over her legs and down to her ankles. Her blonde hair was pinned back beneath the thin veil.

The two women reached the front and Elizabeth moved to the side as Laura took Carson's hand and they moved to stand in front of the Councillor. The councillor gave the usual wedding speech, vows and rings were exchanged and when there were no objections Laura and Carson were declared married.

The wedding reception was also held in the gardens, tables full of food and drinks had been set up a short way from where the wedding had taken place. Laura and Carson shared their first dance before John took over and Carson went to mingle amongst the guests. When their dance was finished John congratulated Laura before handing her over to Marcus and going in search of Elizabeth. He found her talking with a few of the women, most of whom John recognised and all of whom were staring at him as he approached. He ignored them all and held out his hand to Elizabeth. "Care to dance?" he questioned and after a moment she took his hand.

He led her over to the dance floor suppressing a smile at the jealous comments that were being whispered from behind them. He placed his arm around her waist and she placed her hand on his shoulder as they began to sway to the music. He tried to pretend he didn't notice how right it felt to hold her so close to him.

It had been a great day, the wedding had been perfect, everyone was enjoying the party, Laura and Carson had never looked happier and Elizabeth seemed to be enjoying herself. He just hoped the next few weeks were as uneventful as the last few had been whilst Laura and Carson were on their honeymoon. The song came to an end too soon leaving John with no excuse to keep Elizabeth where she was. He released her from his hold and she gave him a smile before Carson came over and requested she dance with him.

John left the dance floor and headed over to one of the many refreshment tables. He got himself a drink and leaned back against the table as he watched his friends. Marcus was still dancing with Laura who was currently laughing at something he'd said. The two of them had put their bickering aside for the day and Marcus had even allowed Laura to get away with a few crude comments and minor insults. Elizabeth and Carson were right next to them, Carson still had the same grin on his face that had emerged when he'd been informed he could kiss the bride. Elizabeth was smiling as well and John figured today had been good for her. A completely normal day with every reason to celebrate, no cloud, no prophesy, no Vernai, it was exactly what she'd needed.

His eyes seemed to be glued to her, he hadn't seen her this happy in the entire time that he'd known her. Granted it hadn't actually been that long, less than two months, but it felt like a life time. He finally managed to tear his gaze away from Elizabeth only for it to land on the Council member that was skulking beneath a tree nearby. John sighed as he put his drink down and walked over to the man who despite the fact that he was clearly trying to go unnoticed was still wearing his council robes.

"Councillor," John greeted respectfully as he approached.

"Agent Sheppard," the man replied "I am to inform you that you that you have a mission. You, Agent Weir and Agent Lorne are to leave for the planet Adaris tomorrow, there you will meet with one of our spies among the Vernai. Apparently he has information that is vital to the Alliance."

"When do we leave?" John asked.

"1100 hours tomorrow," the councillor informed him before turning around and leaving the party. John looked over to Elizabeth who was now dancing with Marcus, laughing and smiling as the two conversed with Laura and Carson at the same time as dancing. He'd tell her later, he didn't want to ruin the day for her or Laura, he knew the blonde well enough to know she'd freak out if she found out they were going on a mission without her because she was on her honeymoon.

* * *

It had taken Teyla a few days to emerge from her room and even then she'd been rather quiet. Ronon had decided to take a break from her training to allow her to sort her head out. It seemed that she was beginning to get over what she'd done though which was why he had chosen to continue her training again. He knew she'd been training with the weapons herself and she was obviously getting good at it so he decided sparring was the way to go, even if it was just a chance to get any remaining anger out of her system.

He'd dragged her out of her room early that morning and they'd both gotten breakfast in the cafeteria. He'd allowed her an hour after that before taking her to the gym and she'd silently stretched out her muscles. They finally picked up their bantos rods, took up their positions and began circling each other, waiting for the other to make their move. Teyla had come a long way in her training; she'd lost the impatience she'd had at the beginning that had always gotten her in trouble. She knew what she was doing now, she knew how to watch her opponent, how to keep her own movements to a minimum. She'd learnt quickly and had become the only person to really challenge him. They were almost equal now, she won almost as many fights as she lost and strangely Ronon didn't mind losing to her.

Teyla finally made a move and swung for him, Ronon was only just able to dodge it and made a swing for her legs. She saw him coming and jumped over the swinging rod. He swung for her again but her own rod collided with his, the sound reverberated around the room as they moved apart. Teyla swung for him this time and Ronon quickly blocked it. She twisted around and attempted to hit him from the other side but he saw that one coming to. Their fight picked up speed with each of them blocking the others attack.

Teyla finally managed to knock his stick out of his hand before hitting the backs of legs causing him to fall to his knees. She stepped up behind him placing one of her rods across his neck and holding him in place.

"I believe I win," she stated and Ronon narrowed his eyes, there was no need for her to get cocky about it. He grabbed the hand that was holding the bantos rod to his neck and pulled on it hard, he reached to grab her around the waist and pulled her over his shoulder. He used his arms to cushion her fall so that she didn't hit the floor too hard and the move brought him face to face with her as his body pinned hers in place.

"It's not over until it's over," he informed her and she tried to wriggle free, the move only succeeded in making him acutely aware of his body's reaction to her. It seemed Teyla had sensed it as well because she stopped struggling and stayed completely still. He didn't know what possessed him but the next thing he knew his lips were on hers, kissing her, his tongue demanding entry which she granted. His hands moved to her waist locating the skin that was exposed by the top she wore.

"Bridge to Commander Dex," a voice interrupted and Ronon was torn between getting up to answer it and staying right where he was. Teyla made the decision for him though as she broke off the kiss.

"You have to answer that," she whispered and Ronon grudgingly stood and went over to where his radio was sitting on top of his gym bag.

"What is it?" he questioned as he picked up the device.

"Commander Nevall's ship just dropped out of hyperspace, he's requesting to speak with you," the bridge officer informed him and Ronon silently cursed the Commanders timing.

"I'll be right there," he stated before tossing the radio into his bag and turning around only to find Teyla had gone. "Damn it," was all he could think to say. He didn't even know what concerned him more, the fact that Teyla had left or the fact that he had kissed her in the first place. There would be hell to pay if the Admiral found out, not to mention the fact that this was the perfect reason for Teyla to be handed over to Kolya.

Resisting the urge to hit something he grabbed his bag and headed out of the gym, he had work to do right now. He'd figure this out, whatever this was, later.

* * *

Teyla all but ran back to her room and dropped down on to her bed. She had no idea what had just happened, why had he kissed her, better yet, why had she kissed him back?

This was insane, did she want to get handed over to Kolya because if she did this was a great way to go about it. If anyone had seen them or if anyone ever found out what had happened she'd be in Kolya's hands before the day was through. She laid back on her bed and stared up at the ceiling as if hoping she'd find the answers there somewhere.

Those errant thoughts that kept running through her head weren't making the situation any easier. The last thing she needed right now was her mind telling her that she had wanted Ronon to kiss her, that she wanted him to do it again. It had felt so good, so right and yet she knew that it was so completely wrong. So why couldn't she convince herself of that?

She shook her head; those thoughts were going to get her nowhere except back in the cell aboard Kolya's ship. All she knew for sure was that this was going to make working with Ronon a whole lot more complicated. Why did this have to happen? She was just beginning to feel settled and now this.

She stood back up and started pacing the room, she wanted to scream and shout and hit something really, really hard. Unfortunately the gym was the best place to do that but she didn't want to be anywhere near that part of the ship right now. She stopped pacing as she realised that in her haste to get out of there while Ronon was distracted she had left her things. She was going to have to go back for them, she just prayed Ronon wasn't there anymore, she wasn't sure she could handle running into him right now, at least not until she had silenced these errant thoughts.

She couldn't risk it, she had no idea what would happen if she ran into him now. She would take a shower and change out of her far to revealing gym clothes and then she would go back. She nodded her head to herself as she decided that was a good plan and headed through to the adjoining bathroom. She turned the water on and removed the gym clothes she was wearing as she gave it a chance to heat up. When she stepped into it she scrubbed every part of her skin as hard as she could in an attempt to remove any part of Ronon that was still remaining. When she finally stepped back out of the shower she reached for her towel and wrapped it around her self as she headed back into the bedroom.

She quickly located a pair of black trousers and a dark blue top that covered far more than the gym top she had been wearing before. After drying her hair and tying it way from her face she tugged on her boots and left her room. The trip back to the gym seemed to take forever and she had to fight the urge to turn around and go cower in her room the entire way.

When she arrived the doors slid open to reveal a thankfully empty gym. He bag was still in the corner where she had left hit but Ronon's stuff was already gone. She all but ran across the room refusing to look at the spot on the floor where he had kissed her. She picked up her bag throwing the strap over her shoulder before grabbing her bottle of water and running back out of the room. She slowed her pace to a fast walk once she was out of the gym and didn't stop until she was safely back in her room.

* * *

Ronon sat at the head of the table in his briefing room, Commander Nevall was sat at the opposite end and members of both crews occupied the chairs along either side. Commander Nevall had been assigned to track and follow the dark cloud several years ago, now that Ronon had the Electus the task was being handed over to him.

"The Cloud has an uncanny ability to disappear whenever we locate it, we can never keep track of it for more than a few minutes. It's as if it disappears and re-emerges elsewhere, we don't know how it does it and it makes tracking it incredibly difficult. To be honest the few time we have managed to find it has been out of pure luck," the commander admitted somewhat reluctantly.

"There really is no way to track it," one of Nevall's Lieutenants stated "You just have to get lucky and stumble across it and then it disappears and you have to start all over again. The only way to follow it is to follow the path of destruction it leaves in its wake but even then, you're probably days behind it and the Alliance are usually all over the area by the time you hear about it."

"So we just have to fly around and hope we stumble across it," Ronon summarised and Nevall nodded his head in response. "Well this was an informative meeting," he stated sarcastically as he and Nevall stood up. The rest of the room followed their example and after shaking hands in a completely false gesture of respect the two commanders parted ways. Nevall headed towards the docking bay so he could return to his ship. Ronon went to try and figure out where the hell his mind had gone when he'd kissed Teyla in the gym because he was sure as hell that it wasn't in his head.

He hadn't allowed himself to even think about it before now because if he had he never would have made it through the meeting without going insane. In fact that was quite possibly the problem, maybe he had gone insane because no sane person would have done what he did. The Admiral was trusting him, a human being, with the most important assignment in the history of the Vernai and he just had to go and screw it up. If the Admiral ever found out he'd have him killed and Teyla would be given to Kolya. For some reason it was the latter that bothered him the most.

He was supposed to be training Teyla and he was finally gaining her trust, he'd probably just destroyed all of their progress and ruined whatever working relationship they had built up. He had just turned a simple situation into a complicated one and he wasn't even sure how he was going to continue working with her now. He knew they needed to talk but right now was really not a good time. He didn't even have his thoughts figured out himself yet, there was no way he'd be able to voice them to her.

* * *

John watched as Elizabeth hugged Laura and then Carson before she said her goodbyes. John had already said his and Marcus said his before the two of them entered the shuttle that would transport them to the larger ship in orbit. Elizabeth gave them one last wave as the shuttle doors closed and the newly weds disappeared from view.

"Well, I better go get ready," Marcus stated before turning and leaving the space port. Elizabeth turned to look at John with the same anxious expression she always wore before a mission.

"I suppose I'd better get ready too," she said as she too turned to leave and John hurried after her. He fell in step beside her and the two of them walked back to their rooms in silence.

She'd looked so happy that morning, yesterday really had done her the world of good. Laura and Carson's wedding had been the element of normalcy and the perfect reason to be happy that she had needed. He'd hated having to shatter it with the news that they had to go on a mission. She had visibly saddened at the news and the reminder that her life was more complicated than she really wanted it to be. She had taken it in her stride though, in fact it was Laura that had gone nuts but after John, Elizabeth and Marcus had assured her it was just a simple mission and they'd be fine she'd calmed down and agreed to actually go on her honeymoon.

They all needed to pack their things since it was going to take several days to reach the planet that they were meeting the spy on.

Elizabeth stopped outside her quarters and turned to John with a small smile as if to reassure him she was alright. "I'll see you in half an hour," she stated before going into her room. John watched her go wishing he could take at least some of the burden off her shoulders. He couldn't though, he couldn't change the fact that she was supposed to be the saviour of humanity or that she'd had to endure two months of rigorous training and information download. He couldn't change that in those two months she'd seen and experienced more of the bad side of this job than he would have liked to have her go through, or the fact that the man who had been like a father to her was dead and the woman who was basically her sister was missing and presumed dead.

The door to her room closed behind her obstructing his view of her and he sighed before heading towards his own room. He knew he shouldn't care as much as he did, it was one thing to worry about her as a partner and friend but he was well aware that his care for her ran far too deep.

He shook his head trying to rid himself of that line of thinking and shoving all thoughts of it to the back of his mind where they couldn't do any harm. He had a mission to think about and he couldn't afford to be distracted.

TBC


	18. Chapter 18

**Belanna30 – **Thanks for the review, I'm glad you enjoyed Ronon and Teyla's part in the last chapter and I hope you enjoy chapter too.

**Steph7085 – **I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter and the build up of the relationships. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Fyd818 – **I think the last chapter was my favourite to write so far, I finally got to write some fluff for the wedding and a shipper scene for Ronon and Teyla. I don't like those technicians that interrupted the moment either. I'm glad the way I write Ronon comes out naturally cos he really is a difficult character to write. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

- - -

Chapter 18

The last few days had been an awkward and uncomfortable experience and that was putting it mildly. She had no choice but to continue her training sessions with Ronon, they'd stuck to weapons training instead of sparring though. Ronon had simply stood back and watched as she stood there and fired various different weapons at the moving targets.

They'd exchanged few words and other that training and very short meal times Teyla had stayed in her quarters. She felt safer there, Ronon seemed no more willing to confront the situation than she was so she knew there was no chance he'd come to her room. She simply met him in the firing range at the same time everyday, shot things and then returned to her room. It was the only contact she had with him and she preferred that it remained that way.

He had managed to tell her that they were now hunting down the dark cloud so that Teyla could figure out her power and then use it to co-ordinate the clouds attack on humanity. It was about the only thing besides 'fire', 'change weapon' and 'same time tomorrow' he had said to her.

What was really annoying her was that the very incident that had caused this mess refused to leave her head. Her mind kept playing it over and over again, refusing to just forget it and move on. The worst part was, she didn't really want to forget it.

She sat on the edge of her bed and dropped her head into her hands in frustration. The whole situation was completely insane; one stupid moment had completely ruined the dynamic she and Ronon had managed to build up over the last couple of months. She was reduced to being just as afraid of him as when she'd first met him only now it was a different type of fear.

Glancing at the time she realised she was going to have to face him yet again. It was time for their daily training session and she was looking forward to it as much as the others. She stood up and walked out of her room heading straight for the firing range, the quicker she got there the quicker she could get this over with.

The doors slid open to reveal Ronon standing in his usual corner waiting for her. The weapons had already been laid out beside the range and she forced a small smile of greeting to him as she passed. She picked up the ear muffs and placed them over her ears before grabbing the hand gun and loading it. With a quick glance back at Ronon to ensure he was wearing his ear protection she took aim at the moving target and fired. She emptied the clip and looked at the target, she'd managed to hit it with just over half of the bullets and of those only three had hit the inner circles, she was definitely off today.

"Try again," Ronon instructed her from his corner and Teyla resisted the urge to turn and glare at him. She reloaded the weapon and fired at the target again, when she'd finished she was much more satisfied with the results and Ronon's lack of comment told her he was as well. She moved onto the next weapon, the automatic rifle and silently wished for the next hour to go very, very quickly.

Unfortunately her wish was not granted and the hour passed with an agonising lack of speed. She kept her focus on the weapons and her targets and as far away from Ronon as she could. It seemed like an eternity had passed when Ronon finally called it a day and they both quickly put the weapons away.

"Same time tomorrow," he told her as usual and Teyla simply nodded her head and left the room. It was only when she got back to her quarters and let out a frustrated sigh that she realised she hadn't actually said a single word to him throughout the entire session.

She sat down on the large chair in the corner of her room and curled her legs up under her. She picked up her book and opened it on the correct page hoping to distract herself from the current impossible situation.

It didn't work, especially not after she remembered that Ronon was the one who had got the book for her. She slammed it shut and let out another sigh of frustration as she put it back on the small table.

This was pathetic… and ridiculous and pathetic, why the hell couldn't she get that damned kiss out of her head. He probably didn't even mean it, he just got caught up in the moment and did something stupid and she had done the same thing when she'd kissed him back. That was it, that was all it was, they got caught up in the moment and did something stupid.

Now if she kept repeating that maybe she could actually convince herself it was true.

- - -

The four day trip to Adaris had gone by quickly and before they knew it the three Alliance agents were on a shuttle on their way down to the planet. They landed in the cities main space port and made their way out onto the streets. Adaris had one of the largest market places in the galaxy and attracted more people to it than any other as such it was easy for a person to get lost in the crowds. It was most likely for this reason that their contact had specified this planet as their meeting place.

They were supposed to go to a bar toward the edge of the market; the crowds were slightly lighter there though still plentiful enough that disappearing would be an easy task. Finally locating the bar they wanted among the dozens that were in that area they opened the door and stepped inside. The room was dimly lit and the smell of alcohol and smoke filled the air. It wasn't particularly busy; a large crowd were gathered together at the table in the corner most likely gambling. There were a few other people sitting around the room. No one noticed the arrival of the three agents who despite their casual attire still looked slightly out of place.

They moved toward the bar slowly and John ordered them all a drink so that they wouldn't draw suspicion to themselves. The bartender eyed them all warily before getting them their drinks.

"How much for her?" a gruff voice asked and John turned around to see the owner of the voice. It was a man probably in his late twenties, his dirty brown hair was in need of a hair cut and he had the beginnings of a beard around his mouth. His brown eyes were fixed on Elizabeth with very obvious hunger in them.

"She's not for sale," John told him remembering that a lot of the women on Adaris were prostitutes and though Elizabeth definitely didn't look like one she'd obviously been mistaken for one.

"Everyone has a price, name yours," the man stated taking a step closer to Elizabeth. The three agents stood up immediately and John took a step forward as Marcus stepped in front of Elizabeth.

"I said, she's not for sale," John repeated but the man was clearly unhappy with the response. He made another move toward Elizabeth only to come face to face with Marcus who had no intention of moving from his position between the local and Elizabeth.

"Get out of my way," the man ordered and Marcus had to keep himself from grimacing at the smell of his breath. He remained where he was, unmoving, his gaze locked onto the mans and never wavering.

"We don't want any trouble," John stated but the man didn't seem to care. He noticed the stares of the other patrons whose attention had been drawn by the scene at the bar. He was fairly sure that if this turned ugly those patrons would not be on their side.

"Move," the man instructed angrily and when Marcus still refused to budge the man swung for him. If it hadn't been obvious before then it was now, the man was drunk. He missed Marcus who took the opportunity to swing his own punch, his fist connected with the drunk's face and he fell to the floor unconscious.

As John had suspected the other patrons did not react favourably and several of them stood up and made their way toward the small group. Bracing themselves for a fight John and Marcus positioned themselves in front of Elizabeth. A man whose appearance was almost identical to the one now lying unconscious on the floor swung for John. He dodged it and in one graceful move kicked the man's feat out from under him. Another man lunged for his middle; his arms went around John's waist as he pushed him back against the bar and then punched him in the stomach.

A small cry of pain left John's lips before he could stop it and he brought his arm up before bringing his elbow down into the mans back. The man grunted in pain and John pushed him back slightly lifting his knee to collide with man's face.

Marcus took out the first guy who had lunged at him and was then forced to deal with two attackers at a time. One of them manoeuvred himself behind him and looped his arms around Marcus shoulders. Pinned in place Marcus could do nothing but struggle and brace himself against the fist that crashed into his gut several times. Each impact caused a quiet, choked cry of pain from him.

He braced himself for yet another impact but it never came. John grabbed the guys shoulder, causing him to spin around and punched him so hard the man lost consciousness before he even hit the ground. Free from the relentless attack Marcus was able to struggle free of the other man's grip and hit him as he spun around, his fist connected with the man's nose and the cracking sound told Marcus he had broken it. When the man bent down on his knees clutching his bleeding nose it only confirmed Marcus's suspicions.

Elizabeth hadn't been able to do much throughout the fight, she'd been trained in hand to hand combat but she was nowhere near good enough yet. She didn't have much choice but to get involved though when one of them took advantage of the situation and tried to make a grab for her. He wasn't expecting her to put up much of a resistance thought so the advantage was hers. He grabbed her arm and attempted to pull her away but she twisted her arm around until he had no choice but to let go of her. He wasn't about to give up though and he made another grab for her, his hand gripped her arm again but this time with an iron grip that actually hurt.

The man was easily twice her size and she had a feeling she'd never be able to knock him out so she used a different approach. She kneed him, right where only truly horrible men deserved to be kneed and he definitely qualified. He doubled over in pain and Elizabeth could feel no sympathy for him.

The cry of pain behind him caught John's attention and he turned in time to see a man drop to his knees in front of Elizabeth who had clearly damaged a vital part of his anatomy. He smirked appreciatively and with the rest of their attackers already subdued he quickly made his way over to her.

"You okay?" he asked her when she looked up to meet his eyes and she nodded her head.

"She's better off than him," Marcus stated as he joined them and gestured to the man still kneeling on the floor.

John smiled in response before he caught sight of the man watching them from the corner. He nodded slowly at John before leaving out of the back exit. The patrons seemed to have gone back to their drinks and once John was sure no one intended to cause any more trouble he led Elizabeth and Marcus out of the front door and around to the back of the building.

Their contact was waiting for them there; he was leaning against the outside wall of the bar and keeping his head down. His clothes matched that of the rest of the bars customers and his slightly unkempt appearance had clearly allowed him to blend him.

"Trust no one," the man said without looking at them.

"For they probably don't trust you," John finished his sentence. It was his code phrase, known only to him and those directly involved in his assignment. It had been given to John only moments before his departure from Atlantis so that he'd be able to make contact with the undercover operative.

"Nice brawl and I'd have thought you'd have preferred not to draw attention to yourselves," he stated and John shrugged.

"Guess it got a little out of hand," he replied and the man smiled, his expression showing the barest traces of amusement. "You have information for us?" John questioned wanting to move this meeting along. The longer they spent together the more danger they were all in.

"It concerns the prophesy of the Electus," the operative stated and all three agents stood up straighter, the operative had no idea he was standing in the presence of one half of the Electus.

"What about it?" Marcus questioned after a moment.

"The Vernai are well aware that the Alliance have one of them in their possession but the Alliance do not know that the Vernai do as well," the Operative informed them and their eyes widened. "The Vernai have Teyla Emmagan, she is in the custody of one of their Commanders, Ronon Dex. He has been training her for the last two months and from what I've heard she's making progress."

"What do you mean training her?" John asked as he glanced quickly at Elizabeth.

"Teyla Emmagan is working for the Vernai," he stated and John saw Elizabeth take a sharp breath but other than that she didn't react. "That is all I can tell you, I have to leave."

John watched as the Agent walked back through the door into the bar and John turned to look at Elizabeth. She looked completely shell shocked and John couldn't blame her, until a few minutes ago they all believed that Teyla had most likely died on the Corlain.

"It's not possible," Elizabeth breathed clearly struggling to wrap her head around the situation. "She would never work for the Vernai."

"We can't stay here," Marcus stated after a few moments of uncomfortable silence. Neither he nor John knew what to say, the information was correct, the operative wouldn't have risked exposure if he wasn't certain. They just didn't know how to tell her that without breaking her.

John took a step closer to her and put his hand on her arm "We have to go," he whispered and she finally looked at him. She nodded her head in understanding and the three of them left the alleyway.

TBC


	19. Chapter 19

**Steph7085 – **Thanks for the review, I'm really glad you enjoyed the bar brawl in the last chapter. I think that's been one of my fave parts to write so far. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Fyd818 – **Glad you liked the fight scene and you get to see Elizabeth's reaction to the news about Teyla in this chapter. Things get interesting for Teyla in this chapter as well so I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for the review.

**Belanna30 – **I'm glad you're enjoying the story and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well, thanks for the review.

**Whirlwind-2005 – **Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

- - -

Chapter 19

It was the first time since they had been given the assignment that they'd been able to track down the dark cloud. It had shown up for a few seconds on sensors and then disappeared but it had been long enough for them to figure out that it was heading into the atmosphere of Harnath. It was a small planet with only a few small settlements of humans but at least they had tracked it down. They would be in orbit in a few minutes and by then Ronon was sure most of the planet's population would be dead. Any that had survived the attack would most likely be picked off by his men.

The door to the bridge opened behind him and the man he had sent to inform Teyla of their arrival walked onto the bridge. Teyla however was not with him and Ronon really hoped he didn't have to go drag her out of her quarters.

"Sir, Miss Emmagan told me to tell you she received the message," the officer informed him fearfully but Ronon only dismissed him. He watched as the young man headed back to his station on the bridge and resisted the sudden urge to sigh. Teyla had been being difficult for the last few days. At first she'd gotten on with whatever had to be done and avoided all unnecessary contact with him. Now though she was even avoiding the necessary contact and it was becoming rather irritating. Twice he'd had to go to her quarters and threaten her out of her room. They were the two longest conversations the two of them had since... the incident in the gym. They hadn't even particularly long conversations they'd consisted of 'get to the training room or else' and her response of 'whatever'.

It was ridiculous that the dynamic they had managed to build up had been completely destroyed by one act of sheer stupidity. He obviously hadn't been thinking straight when he'd done it, if the admiral ever found out he'd be dead. Much to his annoyance his mind seemed to continually focus on the fact that she had kissed him back. He could still feel her soft lips under his and... whoa, so not going there.

"We're arriving in orbit now sir," his helms man informed him.

"Life signs?" he questioned as he turned to look at the woman sitting at the sensor console.

"Four sir, all on the southern hemisphere," she replied without turning to look at him and Ronon was once again distracted by the doors to the bridge opening. This time it was Teyla who walked though them, she didn't even look at Ronon. Instead her eyes fixed on the planet visible through the front window. "Gabel, prepare a team to go down to the surface," he told his head of security who nodded and left the bridge.

"Sir," the woman at sensors said and he turned his attention to her. "The cloud entered the atmosphere in the Northern hemisphere, if it's still on the planet then it's most likely in the south." She told him and Ronon nodded his head.

"Keep scanning for it, maybe we'll get lucky and it'll show up on sensors again," he instructed and then headed for the door of the bridge. "Teyla, let's go."

He didn't bother turning around to see if Teyla was actually following, he would actually prefer it if she was planning on being difficult again and would follow him to the shuttle bay later. As his luck would have it though she followed him and he was now faced with the awkwardly silent walk to the shuttle bay.

"Is everyone on the planet dead," she asked quietly and Ronon was taken aback just by the simple fact that she had actually spoken to him... willingly.

"Yeah, pretty much" he found himself answering but he refused to look at her.

Neither of them said anything else until they reached the shuttle bay. Teyla wordlessly walked onto the shuttle and strapped herself into one of the seats. Ronon shouted a few orders to people before he joined her and made a point of not sitting next to her. For some reason he felt any kind of physical contact with her was a bad idea and it only struck him now that he hadn't actually touched her since he'd kissed her in the gym. They hadn't sparred; in fact they'd avoided the gym all together. Whenever they'd been in the same room they'd stood as far apart as they could. Having dinner together in the cafeteria had been routine for them and now they were rarely seen together.

Had people noticed, had his men picked up on the signs and were now whispering behind his back? He doubted any of them knew the truth but if the Admiral heard that his and Teyla's working relationship was in ruins he would give her over to Kolya. The thought killed him now more than it had done before and that fact alone disturbed him.

The shuttle finally took off and glided out of the shuttle bay and into space. It headed straight for the southern hemisphere of the planet where they were most likely to find the cloud. If they did locate it, it would be Teyla's first encounter with her destiny.

- - -

It wasn't possible, it just wasn't, Teyla would never work for the Vernai. She was a good person, she always had been.

Elizabeth kept repeating the same words in her head almost like a mantra; she had to believe they were true. The four day trip back to Atlantis had been horrible; she'd locked herself in her room and refused to open the door for anyone. John had walked into the room anyway a few times but she hadn't said a word to him, she'd just sat there until he'd given up and left her alone.

She didn't cry, she refused to allow herself the luxury. They were back on Atlantis now and instead of hiding in her room on the ship she was hiding in her room at headquarters. John had left her alone for the day and she had spent it sitting in the dark as she tried to put some semblance of order to the thoughts in her head. She'd come to one simple conclusion... she'd had enough.

A knock at the door suddenly had her feeling like she wanted to cry again. She suppressed the feeling though, buried along with all the other ones and ignored the insistent chiming and knocking. She knew who it was; anyone else would have given up and walked away by now. She also knew what he was going to do if she didn't answer in the next few seconds. As she predicted the door opened and John walked in slowly, tentatively as if making sure he wasn't going to see something he shouldn't. When he spotted her sitting on the floor in the corner of the room he relaxed a little and stepped completely into the room.

The doors swished closed and the light from the corridor was blocked out leaving the room in complete darkness. She heard John's slow footsteps as he crossed the room toward her and as she felt his presence come closer she felt her hold on her emotions slipping.

"Don't," she whispered both to him and the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her.

"Elizabeth..." his voice was quiet and so full of emotions it only added to her misery. She didn't want his pity or his sympathy; she didn't want any of this.

"Go away," she ordered him, trying to put as much strength into her voice as she could manage to summon up.

"I'm not leaving, it's been five days since you've spoken to any of us, we're... we're worried about you," he told her and she stood up keeping her back pressed against the wall.

"You mean you're all worried that the only part of the Electus you have is losing her mind and might not be able to save the world?" she questioned rhetorically, her voice sounding angrier and more bitter than she had intended it to.

"That's not it and you know it," he replied sounding somewhat angry at the accusation.

"I thought I knew a lot of things," she said quietly.

"Elizabeth..." John tried again but something inside her snapped and she cut him.

"No, I don't want your sympathy or pity or whatever else, I don't want to be here, I don't want any of this. I want to go home and go back to the way things were before. I've had enough, do you understand me? I've had enough, I won't be your Electus any more, I don't want to be the Electus anymore!" She shouted angrily and she was all too aware of the tears that were threatening to fall. She knew she should stop but she couldn't. "I should have helped her, I should have done something. I never should have let them take her from Corlain. I should have insisted we go in and rescue her."

"Elizabeth, you couldn't have done anything," John told her desperately.

"I didn't even try!" she shouted as a tear escaped from the dam she was trying to build in her eyes. She took a deep breath and John took advantage of the sudden quiet to cross the last few steps between them. He grabbed her and pulled her against his chest, she resisted at first but he refused to let go and in the end she gave up. She clung to him as though he was a life line and he tightened his arms around her.

Her body was shaking as though all the effort of trying to hold everything in had been tearing it apart, it only made him holder even closer. He knew he shouldn't have left her alone for the last five days, he should have tried harder to get through to her but she hadn't even been willing to listen let alone talk to him.

They stood there in the dark for what felt like forever until John picked her up and put her down on the bed. She didn't loosen her grip on him so he was forced to sit down next to her. He kept his arms around her as she laid her head on his shoulder and eventually the shaking stopped. John heard her breathing even out and knew she fallen asleep as he'd hoped she would. Her grip on him had finally loosened enough that he could remove her from his side and lay her down properly.

He pulled the cover over her and once he was sure she was comfortable he moved to sit on the couch. He didn't want to leave her on her own yet so he laid down facing her and allowed sleep to overtake him.

- - -

Teyla wasn't sure exactly what she was feeling at that moment in time. The villagers had been completely wiped out by the cloud. Bodies were everywhere, they hadn't been prepared for an attack, they'd been going about their lives which had been brutally torn away from them. Some of the buildings had suffered a small amount of damage but otherwise the village was completely intact.

This was what she was supposed to do; she was supposed to control the cloud so that it could cause this kind of devastation more efficiently. She thought her decision had been made; she was suddenly having second thoughts. She risked a quick glance at Ronon who was several feet away talking to some of his men. There was another situation she'd managed to get herself into and she would really rather she hadn't. It had been easy at first, to just ignore him and the nagging voice in her head but the more she thought about it the more uncomfortable she became around him. Hence, she had gone out of her way to make sure she spent as little time with him as possible and whilst she was at it she was doing her level best to make sure he was mad at her. Hopefully if he was mad at her he'd be cruel to her and she'd learn to hate him.

It was only being partially successful; he'd only been cruel to her twice when he'd threatened to give her to Kolya. Other than that he'd just left her to it and she couldn't find it in herself to hate him... not that she was going to stop trying.

"Sir," she heard a slightly panicked voice shouting and looked over to see one of Ronon's officers running towards him gesturing wildly behind him. She took several steps toward the group to try and figure out what was going on.

"What is it?" she heard Ronon ask as she approached them.

"The cloud... it's coming this way," he informed him and Ronon immediately looked at Teyla.

"It can probably sense the presence of living beings," his science officer stated "Or maybe just humans," she added and although her tone remained respectful she could see the slight look of disgust on her face as she glanced at both Ronon and Teyla, apparently not all of Ronon's crew were happy to have a human as a commander.

"There," one of the officers shouted and Teyla looked to where they were pointing. The dark cloud was approaching them now and Teyla now understood why it was named as such. It was a large black mass, very cloud like in its appearance. It moved through the air gracefully without a single sound and as it approached them it seemed to grow bigger.

Teyla began to feel cold and light headed and she had to bring her hand to her head and bite her lip against the pain that was building there. She felt as though someone was trying to crack her head open and she slowly looked up at the cloud. Ronon had told her that she had access to the cloud through a mental connection and that it worked both ways. This was what he had meant; the cloud was trying to get into her mind.

As soon as the realisation hit her she felt the presence of the cloud inside her mind as it tried to take control. She fought it but it only made the pain she was feeling even worse. For a brief moment she was sure she had lost control of her body but she regained it quickly and took several steps back from the cloud. She could hear voices shouting but they all seemed to be mixed together and she couldn't make anything out. The pain continued to intensify until she was sure her head was going to explode.

"Teyla," Ronon's voice came through clearly and it was only now she registered that he was standing right in front of her. She took several deep breaths and forced herself to look up at him, the action caused her more pain but she did it anyway. He didn't say anything but she knew what he was telling her to do. She looked past him at the cloud which was still approaching them and focused all of her energy onto it. She could almost feel the connection and she tried to push her thoughts through it.

It was almost as though a battle was being waged as both she and the cloud fought for control, not only of themselves but of each other. Every time she thought she was getting somewhere the cloud would force her back and then proceed into her mind only for her to push it out again. It seemed like an eternity had passed before the cloud finally stopped edging toward the group.

That was it, that was all she had been trying to accomplish. She didn't want to try anything else for fear that she would lose what ground she had gained and maybe more. Suddenly the cloud moved back and shrunk slightly until it disappeared around the corner it had come from. Several Officers ran after it reluctantly as thought they were afraid of it despite their immunity to its effects. Teyla let out a breath and began breathing deeply as her body recovered from the strain she had put it under.

"Are you alright?" Ronon questioned and Teyla didn't even look at him as she stood up straight.

"I'm fine," she told him before turning and walking away. Behind her she heard the officers returning and reporting that the cloud had disappeared. She didn't stop or turn around as she made her way back to the shuttle. The rest of the crew would be following before long, the Alliance would arrive soon and none of them wanted to be here when they did. She just needed a few minutes alone to recover and if that put some distance between her and Ronon, so much the better.

TBC


	20. Chapter 20

**Fyd818 – **I'm glad you liked Elizabeth's mini breakdown in the last chapter as well as Teyla's scene. I do feel really mean, neither of them are having a particularly enjoyable time right now. I'm really glad you liked Teyla's first confrontation with the cloud and I hope you enjoy this chapter too, thanks for the review.

**Steph7085 – **Here's the more you requested, thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Whirlwind-2005 – **Yes it is kinda bad that Teyla's learning to control the cloud isn't it lol. Thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked the John and Elizabeth scene in the last chapter and I hope you enjoy this one as well.

**Suzotchka1 – **Thanks for the review, I'm really glad you're enjoying the story and that you liked the last chapter, I hope you enjoy this one too.

- - -

Chapter 20

Elizabeth had woken up that morning to find John asleep on the couch in her room. It took her sleep fogged mind a few moments to remember why he was there and she felt rush of humiliation as she recalled her complete breakdown. Her brain still felt like mush from all the crying she had done and she was fairly certain that she would never be able to look John in the eyes again. She sighed and sat up in her bed realising she was still wearing the same clothes she'd worn yesterday.

Quietly she got out of bed and grabbed some fresh clothes from the nearby draws. Despite her care not to wake John when she turned around he was awake and pulling himself into a sitting position. She felt the humiliation return along with the fear that he would think she was weak and pathetic. He turned to look at her and instead of the look of judgment or pity she had been expecting he gave her a small smile of reassurance.

"How are you feeling this morning?" he asked her quietly.

"Better," she told him and he nodded his head before standing up and pulling on the boots he had obviously discarded during the night.

"I should go and change, I'll see you at breakfast?" he asked her and she nodded her head. "Okay," he said before leaving the room without another word. Elizabeth felt her fear and humiliation lessen as she realised he wasn't going to mention her breakdown or judge her for it. She took a deep breath in relief and headed through to the bathroom to shower and change.

An hour later she was heading toward the cafeteria for breakfast. John was already there and once she got her own food she joined him at the table. "Morning," he greeted as though he hadn't spent the night in her room ensuring she was okay.

"Morning," she replied after a moment before she forced herself to eat her breakfast.

"Hey, it's good to see you out and about again," Marcus commented as he joined them both at the table. Elizabeth gave him a small smile in acknowledgement of his words and his presence.

"Do the Council know what they're going to do about Teyla yet?" she asked hesitantly, she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

"No, at least as far as we know," John answered "I don't think they'd planned for this scenario."

"It'll probably be a few days before they figure out what they're going to do about it. I mean both of you are needed to destroy the cloud but with the Vernai having Teyla they have some control over the cloud so… she's probably just as big a threat to them right now," Marcus added reluctantly and gave Elizabeth an apologetic look. She nodded her head in understanding, if Teyla was working for the Vernai then Elizabeth would have to get used to people talking about her as though she was the enemy, as of now, that's exactly what she was.

- - -

It had been two days since they had encountered the cloud. Ronon had been busy with the various tasks that came with being a commander and had yet to speak to Teyla. He knew she had barely left her room since their return but he figured she needed the rest after her mental battle with the dark cloud, he knew it had tired her out.

The whole situation with Teyla was driving him insane and he knew that sooner or later they would have to continue her training. Inevitably they would also have to return to sparring which they had been avoiding since the incident. If he was honest with himself he missed her presence, he was sure it had nothing to do with what happened in the gym, it was simply that he had gotten used to having her around constantly. It had been two weeks since the incident in the gym and things weren't getting any better between them. In fact they were getting worse, now they voided each other completely and he knew rumours were beginning to make their way around his ship. Some of them were rather creative but thankfully none of them were correct… yet.

He knew he would have to talk to her and sort the situation out before things got anymore out of hand than they already were. If the Admiral were to ever get wind of what was going on it would be bad news for both of them. He had a few reports to go through and as soon as he was done with those he would go and talk to her.

For now though he needed to focus on running his ship. They were back to flying around space hoping to stumble across the cloud. Every now and then it showed up on sensors and gave them some idea which direction to head in but it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared and they were forced to fly blind again. It was frustrating not only for him but for the bridge crew as well who were forced to watch sensors constantly so that they didn't miss it's brief appearance. The Admiral had contacted them only once for a status report. He was pleased by the outcome of Teyla's encounter with the cloud but demanded more progress. Easier said than done, they had to find it first.

He returned his attention to the report in front of him trying to force his mind to stop wondering. The engineering report scrawled across the data pad informing him of this ships current condition as well as the few minor malfunctions the ship always had. Satisfied his vessel was still in good shape and wasn't going to drop out of space at any time he entered his security code into the pad as proof he'd read it and put it to the side.

The final report he had to go through was the security report which as always was brief and dull. There were very rarely any security issues to deal with which kind of made the regular weekly reports seem pointless. Nonetheless he read though it and once again signed it and put it aside.

Done with the reports at last he left his office and returned to the bridge where three people were watching over the sensors for the cloud. Across the rest of the bridge it was business as usual with the helm making occasional changes to their course. Colonel Tolman was one of those currently watching sensors though Ronon knew he wouldn't stay there for long. He was Ronon's second in Command and whilst he liked to appear as though he got stuck into the work with the rest of the crew he very rarely actually did.

Ronon walked off the bridge and headed towards Teyla's quarters where he knew he would find her.

- - -

The Council had called them all to the Council chambers and John was in no doubt as to what it was about. The guards opened the doors as usual and allowed them in closing the doors behind them. The Council were convened around the room as usual and John noted the solemn expressions on their faces, clearly their talks had been stressful and not all of them agreed with the outcome.

John looked to Elizabeth who was standing by his side. Since her minor breakdown the other day she had seemed a little more like herself. The situation with Teyla was obviously still weighing heavily on her but she was definitely coping better now. At that moment her expression was almost unreadable but John could see the small amount of apprehension in her features. She knew as well as him that whatever the Council decided was probably not good for Teyla.

On the other side of Elizabeth was Marcus, he and John almost seemed to flanking Elizabeth protectively though she wasn't actually in any danger. Laura and Carson were due back in two days and John wished they were here, Elizabeth would need all the support she could get, though he doubted she'd admit it.

"I assume you all know why you're here," one of the Councillors began "Teyla Emmagan working for the Vernai is a terrible blow to the Human Alliance. She has the ability to control the cloud and therefore can focus it on Alliance planets. Whilst it would be most beneficial if we were to capture her and convert her to our cause we feel that it is very unlikely to happen. We are issuing orders that Teyla Emmagan is to be captured however if it is not possible to capture her then any chance to kill her must be taken."

John heard Elizabeth take a deep, quiet breath to steady herself as the councillor finished talking and another one took over.

"We also feel that is imperative that Agent Weir learn how to use her own power to control the cloud, now more than ever. Perhaps she will be able to overpower Emmagan and save many Alliance worlds from the Clouds devastation," the Council woman stated and John didn't think he was going to like where this was going as yet another Councillor continued.

"To that end we have decided that the three of you will be assigned solely to searching out the cloud and allowing Agent Weir to develop her powers. You will be given a small ship in which to carry out your task. Agent Cadman and Dr Beckett have been assigned to this mission as well and you will leave when they return in two days. Drs McKay will also be accompanying you so that he can continue with his research of the cloud."

John signed when he realised Rodney would be coming with them, there would be no end to the bickering with him, Laura and Marcus all stuck in the same ship for who knew how long. The three of them were like children when you put them all in the same room for more than a few seconds.

"It is most likely that the Vernai are also searching for the Cloud along with Emmagan for the very same reason. I'm sure we do not need to tell you that the standing orders regarding Emmagan apply to you as well. You will probably run into her and the Vernai many times, if you get the opportunity to either capture or kill her then you are to take it," another council member informed them though the order seemed to be directed more at Elizabeth who gave no reaction whatsoever.

"You leave in two days, dismissed."

The three agents left the room and Marcus and John exchanged a glance. Marcus nodded in understanding and excused himself before leaving John and Elizabeth alone.

"You alright?" he asked her and Elizabeth looked at him for a moment before shaking her head slightly.

"I won't kill her, she's like my sister… I can't kill her," she informed him and John looked at her in concern for a moment. Realising that she was far from okay in that moment and he amended his question.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"I will be," she replied.

"Are you sure?" he questioned and Elizabeth shrugged.

"I don't have a choice," she stated and the truth in the statement made John ache to help her somehow, to relieve her of some of the burden she had to carry.

- - -

Ronon had almost made it to Teyla's quarters when the ship lurched violently and he was thrown against the wall. He pushed himself back into an upright position and reached for the radio on his belt.

"Commander Dex to the bridge, what's going on?" he questioned and Tolman responded almost immediately.

"We're under attack, two Alliance Cruisers," he informed him and Ronon cursed silently as he turned around and headed back toward the bridge. It took him longer than he would have liked to get back since he was being thrown into walls every few seconds but he finally made it through the doors to the bridge and into his command chair.

"Status," he called and reports started coming in from the various stations. His attention was mostly on the damage report, he knew the helm would be taking evasive action and weapons would already be firing as best they could.

"They've disabled the hyperdrive and we have hull breaches on decks 3,4,5,12 and 14," his officer at the internal sensors console informed him and Ronon froze for a moment when he realised he'd just been on deck 14.

"Sir, we're receiving a hail from Commander Kale, his comm. officer stated "He says he's on his way and should arrive in eight minutes."

Ronon nodded his head in acknowledgement and turned his attention to the small panel by the side of his chair where reports were scrolling by almost too fast to read. One of the Alliance ships had already taken heavy damage to their shields.

"Kabel," he shouted over the sound of an explosion and his weapons officer glanced up quickly from his console as he tried to continue firing the weapons. "Aim for their engines."

Kabel nodded his head distractedly to show that he had heard and understood the order and Ronon watched as several missiles hit the Alliance ship near the engineering sections and he could see the moment where the shields failed. There was a tiny shimmer of blue as they failed and the next missile impacted the ship. Another series of missiles headed in the same direction and the ship finally exploded in an impressive explosion of light.

By this time though his own ship had taken heavy damage and the officer at sensors informed him the shields had failed. The next impact made the ship shake even more violently than before as the missile impacted the ship instead of the shields.

"Hull breach section 14H," his officer shouted and Ronon once again found himself freezing, that was the section Teyla's quarters were in. He forced himself to concentrate through the unexpected wave of emotions that hit him.

He was about to open his mouth to shout more orders when one of the few officers still at sensors cut him off. "Commander Kale has arrived."

Sure enough when Ronon looked at the screen a Vernai command cruiser dropped out of hyper space and bean firing on the Alliance ship. Between the two Vernai ships the Alliance ship was destroyed within seconds.

"Commander Kale is hailing us," the officer at communications told him and Ronon nodded for him to put it on screen. Kale's aging face appeared on screen, he was one of the oldest and most experienced of the Vernai Commanders.

"Do you require any assistance repairing your ship?" Kale questioned immediately, Vernai Commanders were not known for being conversational and the older ones worse.

One look at the summarised reports going through the panel beside him and he knew he was going to need all the assistance he could get. "Assistance would be appreciated."

"We'll dock and I'll send my engineers over," Kale stated before cutting the transmission and Ronon turned to the helm and gave the officer the go ahead to dock with Kale's ship. The sound of the bridge doors opening made him turn around in time to see Teyla walk onto the bridge. He let out a quiet breath of relief realising she was fine and left the bridge to meet Kale and his team.

"What happened?" Teyla asked as she followed him.

"We got attacked," he stated and could almost feel the glare Teyla directed at him.

"I gathered that much," she told him.

"Two Alliance ships nearly blew us up," he elaborated "Commander Kale showed up and helped us out and now he's coming on board to help with repairs."

He knew Teyla was thinking the same thing as he was, if Kale saw the current state of their relationship he would report it to the Admiral. Until Kale left they were going to have to act like nothing was wrong. If only he'd had chance to talk to her before the attack, the Alliance always had crap timing.

They arrived at the docking hatch just in time for Kale and his engineers to arrive. His head of security was already there and directing some of his officers to escort the engineers to engineering.

"Commander Kale," Ronon greeted.

"Commander Dex," Kale returned and then looked at Teyla who was probably the only person beside him on the ship that wasn't wearing Vernai uniform, it was a dead give away as to who she was. "This must be the Electus."

Ronon knew it annoyed her to no end when people referred to her as the Electus, she had a name and she preferred people used it. Normally she would just ignore it and not let it bother her but she was obviously already annoyed and wasn't going to put up with it this time.

"The Electus has a name," she informed the Commander who looked slightly taken aback but then smiled.

"It seems you're doing well with her, she's not the timid little girl she was reported to be anymore," he told Ronon who nodded in agreement. "Why don't we take a look at the damage to your ship so I know what to have brought over from mine?"

Ronon gestured for Kale to proceed down the corridor and then fell in step beside him. He was aware that Teyla hadn't followed them immediately and was no doubt glaring daggers at both of them for ignoring her. There was no warning before the explosion beside them, Ronon felt himself get thrown violently into the wall and vaguely registered debris falling on top of him before everything went black.

TBC


	21. Chapter 21

**Steph7085 – **(laughs maniacally) That was an evil cliff hanger wasn't it lol. I'm glad you're enjoying the story and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well, thanks for the review.

**AthosionWarrior - **Thanks for the review, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Fyd818 – **Poor Teyla and Elizabeth are having a bad few months, I'm trying to figure out which one of them is worse off lol. Glad the battle scene was convincing, I was almost chewing my own finger nails over that, speaking which, that's a bad habit lol. Yes I know, evil cliff hanger bit I think this chapter might make up for it. Thanks for the review.

- - -

Chapter 21

Teyla could barely see through the smoke from the explosion, she knew Ronon had been close to it, probably right next to it. She moved toward where she had last seen him running her hand across the wall to feel her way. She coughed as her lungs forced her to breath in the thick smoke and then closed a hand over her mouth and nose to try and filter the air.

She could feel the intense heat coming from the fire that burned nearby and knew she was getting close. She could vaguely hear the voices of Ronon's officers as they approached. Her focus was on finding Ronon though, she continued to feel her way through the smoke, her lungs protesting against the smoke that she was inhaling and her entire body begging for relief from the constant heat.

Her foot collided with something on the floor and she slowly knelt down and found Ronon's hopefully unconscious form. She reached for his neck and placed two fingers there, she didn't find his pulse immediately and she felt panic beginning to rise until she finally located it. Sighing in relief she turned to where the form of Commander Kale was also laying, from the look of it he'd been closer to the explosion and she carefully reached out to find his pulse beating slowly but steadily.

The other officers finally arrived and as several got to work on putting out the fire some of them ran over to tend to their commanders. "They're both alive but unconscious," she informed the officer who knelt down beside her. He nodded in acknowledgment and gestured for his men to help carry them out of the smoke. Teyla followed them out and watched as Ronon was placed on a gurney and wheeled away by his medical team. One of the doctors approached her as she began coughing and she held her hand up in protest when he tried to guide her away from the scene.

"I'm fine," she stated but the doctor would not be deterred.

"I'll be the judge of that," he informed her as he gently grabbed her arm and pulled her along with him. She went willingly this time, at the very least she would be able to make sure Ronon was alright.

The doctor guided her through the ship and up an elevator until they arrived in the infirmary. It was the first time she'd been forced to visit the infirmary on Ronon's ship, it was similar to Kolya's but there were some obvious improvements. To one side Ronon and Kale were being taken care of and Teyla was gently tugged the opposite way.

The doctor gestured for Teyla to sit on one of the beds and she did as she was told without taking her eyes off Ronon. The doctor left her side and when he returned a moment later he stepped in front of her and blocked her view of Ronon. "Breath into this," he instructed and she took the small tube from him. She took a deep breath and blew into it, the display on the front flashed with a red number but Teyla didn't get to see what it was before the doctor took it from her.

"You inhaled a lot of smoke," he stated and Teyla coughed once again as if to confirm his answer.

He handed her an oxygen mask and she was about to protest but the doctor silenced her with a look. He moved away and she could see Ronon again, he too was wearing an oxygen mask and the small cut on his head had been cleaned up. He began to stir and a moment later he opened his eyes and tried to sit up only to be stopped by the doctor.

"Commander, you were just caught in an explosion I think you can take it easy for a few minutes," the doctor told him but Ronon was determined, the moment the doctor looked away he sat up and the man sighed when he saw his patient has disobeyed orders.

"I'm fine," Ronon stated as he pulled the oxygen mass off his face. The doctor glared at him but Ronon didn't seem to care.

"You are the most difficult patient I have ever had to deal with," the doctor stated and Ronon shrugged.

"So you keep telling me."

"You can go… not that I could keep you here but you are to take the next few days off… I don't care what needs to be done, you are not to work," the doctor continued despite Ronon's attempts to protest. "Come back here in two days and I'll check you out, you seem to be fine physically but I want you to rest anyway."

Ronon simply nodded knowing full well that he wouldn't stick to it for more than an hour, if that. He looked over at Commander Kale who had obviously bared the brunt of the explosion. He turned to his left where he saw Teyla sitting on one of the beds with an oxygen mask on her face. One of the other doctors was talking to her and she was just nodding her head in acceptance since talking with the mask on would be more trouble than it was worth.

"Is she alright?" he asked and the doctor followed his gaze to Teyla.

"I'm sure she's fine but she probably inhaled a lot of smoke," the doctor stated and then left Ronon to do as he pleased.

Ronon stood up and left the infirmary after a quick glance at Teyla. He knew he wasn't supposed to work but he wanted to know what had happened, besides it wasn't as though asking for a report was strenuous.

- - -

Elizabeth allowed John to enter her room and then went back to packing her things. They had no idea how long they would be gone, it would most likely be weeks maybe months so they had decided to take pretty much everything they owned. She was quite surprised by how much stuff she'd managed to accumulate in the last few months.

"You ready?" he asked her.

"Just about," she replied as she placed the last of her clothes in the bag and zipped it up. John picked it up for her and put it near the door with her other bag.

"Well Laura and Carson get back first thing in the morning and they'll be allowed some time to pack anything they don't already have so we'll probably be leaving around noon," John informed her and Elizabeth nodded her head in understanding.

"I feel kind of bad for them, they don't even know what's going on yet, they'll barely have time to enjoy being newly weds," Elizabeth mused and John smiled.

"I'm sure they've enjoyed every minute of it in the last two weeks," he stated meaningfully and Elizabeth found herself smiling along with him as she shook her head in dismay.

"John Sheppard, your mind is a terrible place," she replied and he simply shrugged.

"Are you sure you're going to be alright with this?" he asked her and Elizabeth sat down on the bed.

"Like I said, I have to be," she stated and John sat down next to her. "She probably thinks I abandoned her."

"It's not your fault, we all thought she was dead. There was never any indication that the Vernai had her, if there had been we would have gone in and got her out," John told her but she shook her head.

"But she doesn't know that. All she knows is that I got rescued and then never came for her," Elizabeth replied and John reached across and took her hand. He knew she was right and there was no point in denying it but he could at least offer her whatever small comfort he could give.

She looked at their joined hands and then up at him giving him a small thankful smile before standing up and checking to make sure all of her things were packed and that she hadn't forgot anything, she wouldn't be able to come back if she had. "I think that's everything," she finally stated and John stood up.

"Good, then we can go and meet Marcus for dinner," he said and gestured for Elizabeth to precede him through the door.

- - -

Teyla closed her book in frustration when she found her mind wondering away from the words she was reading. Less than twenty four hours ago she'd been feeling her way through a smoke filled corridor to find Ronon's unconscious body and for a brief second she'd actually feared he was dead. She knew he'd been ordered to rest and even she'd been told to take it easy after the apparently very large amount of smoke she'd inhaled.

The door chime pulled her out of her thoughts and she went to answer it wondering who it could possibly be. The only time anyone came here was when Ronon sent them with message and with Ronon off duty there shouldn't be anyone. The doors swished open and she was shocked to find Ronon standing there after two weeks of avoiding each other.

"We need to talk," he informed her and she hesitated a moment before stepping back and allowing him into her room. He walked past her and was standing in the middle of the room when he turned around to face her. He seemed nervous and for the usually stoic commander that was saying a lot.

Teyla finally stepped away from the door and allowed it to close behind her. she moved toward Ronon but kept a distance between them.

"What happened in the gym," Ronon began but then sighed when he decided what he'd planned to say didn't seem right anymore. It didn't help that he kept thinking of how close she'd come to being killed. It was this section of the ship that had breached yesterday. She was lucky her quarters weren't caught in it even if she had already been on her way to the bridge by then. For a while he'd thought that she might actually have been killed. "What happened in the gym happened, we can't change it and…" Ronon was cut off as Teyla stepped forward and crushed lips against his.

He was surprised at first but quickly and without thinking he sunk into the kiss and responded eagerly. There was nothing gentle about it, not like in the gym, this was desperate and demanding as he forced her mouth to open beneath his. He backed them up against the wall and pressed his larger frame against her small one.

His hands moved to her hips and found the hem of her shirt. He pushed it up out of the way and she moaned against his lips when his hands connected with her skin. He trailed them upwards finding the part of her that had been denied to him last time by the radio that had interrupted them. Short of a catastrophe though there would be no interruptions this time.

He pulled the shirt over her head exposing her to his eyes and he pulled away from the kiss long enough to look at her. He didn't take long though before he returned his attention to her mouth and once again placed his hands on her sides. He moved his hands back to her hips and manoeuvred her away from the wall and toward the bed with the rest of her clothes as well as his being lost along the way.

- - -

Teyla awoke and was surprised to find Ronon still asleep beside her, she had expected him to try and sneak out during the night. She turned slightly so that she was more comfortable, Ronon began to stir and his movement only made her more aware of just how naked they both were beneath the covers. She didn't know what had possessed her last night.

Her emotions had been a mess for the last two weeks and the brief second she'd thought was dead had messed her up completely. Her recent battle with the cloud had only added to the physical, mental and emotional exhaustion she'd already felt and last night she had just snapped. She wasn't sure she'd picked the best way to deal with it but it had worked. Last night hadn't been gentle, in fact fierce, desperate and demanding came to mind. It had been two people who needed some kind of release and they had found it.

She knew it was probably going to cause them more trouble than they were already in, especially with another Commander on board but in that moment she couldn't bring herself to care. She was debating whether to take shower, get dressed and find somewhere to hide for a few hours or stay where she was and face him this time. She knew it had been cowardly of her to run away last time but her mind had been even more of a mess then than it was now.

Ronon stirred once again and she turned onto her side, manoeuvring her head on the pillow so that she could see him properly… she would face him this time.

He finally opened his eyes and took in his surrounding before turning to see Teyla still lying beside him. He took a deep breath and then turned properly to face her but neither of them said anything for a while.

"The Admiral will kill us won't he?" Teyla finally broke the silence and Ronon nodded.

"We'll just have to make sure he never finds out," he replied and Teyla had to admit, that sounded like a good plan, simple, maybe a few flaws in it but generally a good plan.

"I'm going to take a shower," she informed him "And when you're up to it… my sparring skills could use some work."

"I'll meet you in the gym this afternoon then," he replied and Teyla finally sat up in the bed keeping the sheet wrapped around her as she located her top and underwear. She managed to get them on without exposing more of herself than was necessary, she almost had to laugh at herself. She'd been naked and as intimate with Ronon as it was possible to be last night and she still felt the need to cover herself up as she headed to the bathroom.

She showered quickly and then returned to her bedroom to find Ronon had already left. Sighing to herself she got dressed and headed to the cafeteria for breakfast.

What the hell had she got herself into now?

TBC


	22. Chapter 22

**AthosionWarrior - **Thanks for the review, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Steph7085 – **I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter and the lusty Ronon and Teyla relationship. You'll have to be patient for the Sparky, very patient lol. Hope you like this chapter and thanks for the review.

**Fyd818 – **(curses malfunctioning technology) I hate it when my computer freaks out on me. Good to know you liked the beginning of the last chapter and I figured Ronon wasn't the type to sit still because doc tells him to. You'll get to see a little glimpse of what Rodney, Laura and Marcus are gonna be like on the same ship in this chapter. As for Ronon and Teyla, jaw dropping was my goal and well… you'll just have to wait and see lol. Hope you enjoy this chapter and thanks for the review.

- - -

Chapter 22

Laura and Carson arrived back that morning only to be immediately informed of their new mission. They headed straight to their room at headquarters to pack any of their things that they didn't already have. The bags from their honeymoon were taken to the ship they would be departing on. John, Elizabeth and Marcus had met them in the space port and Marcus had given them a quick run down of everything they'd missed.

"So much for enjoying being newly weds," Laura muttered as she threw her blue blouse into the bag.

"We did just have two weeks to ourselves," Carson pointed out reluctantly as he packed his own stuff a little more orderly than Laura.

"That was the honeymoon, it doesn't count," she stated and Carson frowned, slightly confused, how did the honeymoon not count?

"Laura love, think about how the others must feel, they haven't exactly had an easy couple of weeks. Poor Elizabeth just found out the woman who was like her sister, who had been presumed dead is actually alive and working for our enemy," Carson rationalised which seemed to calm his irate wife slightly.

Laura stopped what she was doing and placed her hands on her hips as she let out a deep sigh. "You're right," she conceded. "I suppose we should be grateful we got the entire two weeks to ourselves, I was sure we were gonna get called back early for some reason or another."

"Besides I'm sure you'd be more upset if they were going without you," Carson stated and Laura smiled slightly at the truth in the statement.

"And things could be worse, they could be sending just one of us and then we'd be separated for who knows how long," she finished as if finally convincing herself that the situation wasn't all bad.

"Exactly," Carson replied as he walked around the bed and placed his hands on her waist. She automatically slid her own arms around his neck as he placed a gentle kiss on her lips. He only intended it to be quick but Laura wasn't having any of it and she held him in place longer.

"How long do we have before we need to leave?" she questioned and Carson glanced at his watch.

"Just under an hour," he informed her as he turned back to her to catch the wicked glint in her eyes.

"Imagine what we could do with all that time," she said meaningfully with a huge grin on her face.

- - -

John dropped Elizabeth's bag onto her bed aboard the Venture, the ship the council had assigned to them was a small smugglers ship. Probably one they had impounded at some point or another. It meant they would have an easier time staying off the Vernai's radar. It had enough bedrooms to accommodate them all plus a few spares, there was an infirmary, a lab and an armoury on the floor below and beneath that was the engine room.. The bridge and kitchen were on the same floor as the bedrooms and all in all it wasn't a bad ship.

The Council had supplied them with enough supplies to last them a few weeks and they'd been given an account so they could get more later. All things considered it wasn't an entirely bad situation, Elizabeth seemed to be feeling better. Marcus was well… Marcus. He was sure Laura would be having a mini rant at some point but he also knew that Carson would calm her down somehow, he was the only person that could. Rodney would be arriving shortly, his equipment had already been delivered and was currently sitting in the lab. If they could all avoid killing each other during their long journey in a confined space they should be fine.

"Let's go check on the others," John suggested and Elizabeth followed him out of the room and through to the cargo bay at the back of the ship. The ramp was currently down allowing supplies and people aboard the ship.

"Yes Rodney, I know," Zelenka stated sounding rather frustrated.

"I mean it if I come back and that lab's a mess I'll… I'll be very, very cross," the scientist finished and John had to laugh at the miserable excuse for a threat.

"Good luck Rodney," Zelenka finished their argument only for Rodney to start another one.

"I still don't see why you're not coming," Rodney complained.

"Melissa's mother just died and she has to travel to Fraida for the funeral and then take care of her younger brother so she won't be able to work whilst we're gone. Somebody has to run the lab Rodney," Zelenka explained in a voice that said this wasn't a new argument.

"I know that but why'd the woman have to pick now to die and why can't you go and I'll stay here?" Rodney whined and Zelenka sighed in a gesture of obviously increasing frustration and John decided to rescue the poor scientist.

"McKay, you'd better go and make sure all of you're equipment's in your lab, I heard there was some kind of mix up during transport, I'm not sure it all made it," John lied and Rodney looked slightly annoyed before taking off toward the ship and disappearing into the cargo bay muttering about incompetent idiots the entire way.

"Thank you," Zelenka said gratefully.

"No problem," John told the scientist who nodded before walking away.

"Laura, I don't think you need to bring this many guns," Carson stated as he and Laura arrived with several bags. "I'm sure they have plenty on the ship already."

"I'm not taking any chances, besides I want _my_ guns," the blonde stated as she stood on the ramp and threw her bags into the cargo bay. John saw Carson wince at the sound of something falling and breaking and decided he didn't want to know what Laura had just destroyed. The blonde didn't seem bothered by the havoc she'd created and walked back down the ramp leaving Carson to walk into the cargo bay and place his bags down more carefully.

"I think that was important," Carson informed her as he moved to stand beside her.

"Was it a weapon?" she asked.

"No," Carson replied.

"Was it food?"

"No."

"Then it wasn't important," Laura concluded as Marcus finally arrived and threw his own bags into the cargo bay. He was a little more careful where they landed than Laura but he didn't seem to be too bothered either.

"What wasn't important?" he asked as he joined the other two at the bottom of the ramp.

"Whatever Laura just destroyed," Carson stated exasperatedly.

"Laura, I can't believe you're making a mess already," Marcus stated and Laura turned to glare at him. "You've only been back from your honeymoon for a few hours."

"I really wouldn't get on my bad side right now Marcus," Laura warned him and Marcus looked at her incredulously.

"Or you'll do what?" he questioned.

"I'll kick your ass all the way from here to the nearest Vernai occupied world," she informed him clearly getting annoyed.

"You could try but I'm fairly sure I could beat you with my hands tied behind my back," he informed her.

"Oh this coming from the man who got his ass kicked by a cloud," Laura argued back and Marcus glared at her angrily.

"Now. You. Just…" he started but John cut them off.

"Both of you," he shouted as he and Elizabeth approached the group and they all turned their attention on him. "We haven't even left yet and you're already starting. Shut up and go take your things to your room, we're about to leave."

Marcus and Laura both looked sufficiently chastised and picked up their bags from the cargo bay as they headed to their rooms. Carson followed them grabbing his own bags along the way and John watched them go. "Yep this is definitely going to be an interesting journey," he stated and Elizabeth looked at him and smiled in amusement.

"What gave you that idea?" she asked rhetorically as they both walked up the ramp and John hit the control at the top to raise it and seal it. They immediately headed through the to the bridge where John sat in the pilots chair and Elizabeth sat in the chair by the communications and sensors console. John plotted a random course, the only criteria was to avoid Vernai controlled planets. He then walked over to where Elizabeth was sitting and leaned over her shoulder opening a comm. channel to Port Control.

"This is Agent Sheppard aboard the Venture we are ready for take off," he stated and a moment later a female voice replied.

"Understood Venture, you are clear for take off through the gateway 17," she informed them and John closed the comm. and returned to the pilots seat. He started the ships engine and a few moments later they were exiting the space dock and heading into space. Once they were clear of the planet John engaged the hyperdrive and allowed autopilot to take control of the ship.

"Here we go," he said as he leaned back in his chair.

- - -

Last night should have made things more awkward but it didn't, in fact things seemed to be returning to normal. Normal except for the fact that Ronon kept getting images of last night flashing through his head. The fact that they were now sparring wasn't making things any easier. Every time he touched her he remembered touching her there in another way.

Teyla seemed to be handling it fine, she was actually taking advantage of the distraction his wondering mind kept providing and kicking his ass. She was also enjoying it way too much.

"How is Commander Kale?" she asked as Ronon stood up and they both moved back into their starting position.

"He'll be fine in a few days," he replied as they both began circling each other, he was determined to stay focused this time.

"Do you know what caused the explosion yet?" she questioned and Ronon swung for her, the bantos rod in his hand narrowly missing her side as she span out of the way.

"The power conduits in that section were damaged during the attack, their still analysing all their data but they're guessing it was that," he informed her as he ducked to avoid the stick that was moving rapidly toward his head. In retaliation he aimed a blow for her stomach, she tried to move but he managed to hit her side. She recovered quickly and made an attempt on his chest he blocked and she tried again with her other hand only to prevented from reaching her target. She span away from him gracefully and lowered her bantos rod to collide with the one he had been aiming at her legs.

She quickly threw her other arm out toward his head and he was forced to grab her wrist to prevent her from hitting him. He spun her around and pulled her back against his chest. He held her wrist against her stomach, his other hand still held the bantos rod and he brought that up to her neck. For a moment it seemed as though she was going to struggle and attempt to hit him with her still free hand but he gently tugged on the stick still around her neck and she obediently dropped her own.

"Final round to me," he stated and she shifted slightly in his grasp making him regret holding her this tightly against him.

"As opposed to the four rounds I've already won," she retorted and he released his hold on her and stepped back. She picked up her bantos rods and returned them to the shelf, he placed his own next to hers and picked up his bottle of water from on top of his gym bag. She reached for her own and for a moment Ronon cursed her for always wearing those damn revealing clothes during their work outs.

"Well this looks cosy," a male voice stated from the doorway and they both turned to see Colonel Bates standing there. He was Kale's second in command and was in charge of the commander's ship and men until Kale recovered from his injuries, which thankfully wouldn't be long now.

"Is there something we can do for you?" Ronon questioned in annoyance.

Bates looked at Teyla, his eyes travelling up and down her body "I'm sure there's plenty you could do for me," he stated meaningfully and Ronon resisted the urge to punch him.

"What do you want Bates?" Ronon asked again.

"To tell you that our science team picked up traces of an explosive residue in the corridor of your ship. You wouldn't be trying to assassinate Commander Kale now would you?" he asked and Ronon would have given up the fight against the impulse to hit him if Teyla hadn't stepped forward.

"Commander Dex was injured in the explosion as well, I hardly think he caused it," she stated and Bates turned accusing eyes on her.

"Then perhaps it was you," he began "We all know you're the Electus, the saviour of humanity, perhaps you are working for the Alliance after all."

Ronon grimaced inwardly, Teyla was beginning to hate the Alliance almost as much as he did. The fact that both Elizabeth Weir and the Human Alliance had left her at the hands of the Vernai had instilled a very deep level of hate in her. She was lucky that she had ended up in Ronon's care and not someone like Kolya's.

"You know nothing about me," Teyla told him venomously "Never insinuate that I work for the Alliance."

"I'm not insinuating it, I'm saying it, someone caused that explosion and you're the best suspect on both ships," he stated and most likely regretted it. Teyla's fist connected with his face so hard the Colonel was knocked backwards. He recovered quickly and lunged angrily at Teyla but Ronon stepped forward and grabbed his arm pulling him away from her.

"I think you should leave now," he instructed him and Bates shook him off before making his way to the door. He stopped just as he was about to leave and turned to look at Teyla.

"Alliance filth," he spat out and this time Teyla made to lunge for him as he left the gym . Ronon grabbed her around the waist as she tried to get past him and she struggled against him seemingly intent on causing Bates some serious damage.

"He's not worth it," Ronon told her as he continued to hold her in place and Teyla finally relented and shook him off in the same manner Bates had. She walked back over to her gym bag in silence and tossed her things into it before heading for the door.

"I'll see you later," she told him as she left and Ronon sighed as he picked up his own stuff and left.

TBC


	23. Chapter 23

**Fyd818 – **Don't worry I don't think Laura broke anything too important and I'm glad you liked the back-and-forthing in the last chapter. For some reason I'm really enjoying writing sparring scenes in this story, it's good to know you like them. Hope you enjoy this chapter and thanks for the review.

**AthosionWarrior – **I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter and thanks for the review, hope you enjoy this one too.

**Suzotchka1 – **Thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you enjoy this one.

**Whirlwind-2005 – **Thanks for your reviews, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'm glad you liked the last couple.

- - -

Chapter 23

Several days into their journey and there had still be no sign of the cloud. It hadn't attacked any planets which they all supposed was a good thing but it meant they didn't even know which direction to head in. So they'd spent the entire journey flying aimlessly through space.

Rodney for the most part had stayed in his lab only venturing out for food and occasionally sleep. Laura seemed to be in a better mood than when they'd set off from Atlantis which was definitely a welcome relief, she'd been a nightmare on their first day. No one appeared to have any strong urges to kill someone yet so they were off to a good start. They were all currently sitting around the table in the kitchen and eating area.

"How the hell are we supposed to find this thing if doesn't show up on sensors?" Marcus asked as they discussed their current assignment.

"I didn't say it never shows up on sensors, it comes up as kind of a discrepancy in the sensor readings. It throws of the sensors and they don't read that part of space, it's not a guarantee and it only shows up now and again so we could easily miss it but it's the only way we have to track it," Rodney explained as he took a bite of the rather large sandwich in his hand.

"Shouldn't we have someone watching the sensors then?" Carson asked.

"No, I came up with a programme that continually scans for any kind of discrepancy in the sensor readings. If it picks one up the device on my belt will start beeping to let me know," Rodney informed them gesturing to the small device currently resting at his waist.

"So we just have to keep flying around until that things starts beeping," John stated in exasperation. The more they flew around aimlessly the more likely they were to get picked up by the Vernai. On the other hand if they were actually heading straight for the cloud they were definitely going to run into the Vernai so it was a bit of a lose-lose situation.

"Surely there's another way," Laura mused not liking the idea of just floating aimlessly around space for who knew how long.

"There isn't," Rodney told her "Despite the years of research that have been done on the cloud we still know very little about it. We don't know where it came from or even exactly what it is."

"You think it's a living being though right?" Marcus questioned and Rodney nodded.

"Yes and we think it has a mental connection with Elizabeth and Teyla Emmagan that allows them to control it," he continued to explain "That's how it was able to take control of her aboard the Independence, that's proof of our theory. It's quite remarkable really … OW!" he exclaimed as John kicked him under the table. He'd seen Elizabeth's reaction to the memories Rodney's ramble had no doubt conjured up and kicking him seemed like the best and quickest way to make him shut up. "What did you do that for?"

"Sorry my foot slipped," John lied and Rodney narrowed his eyes at him but John wasn't paying attention to him anymore.

"I was thinking if we haven't found anything in the next few days we'd stop off on Leneria so we can all get off the ship for a few hours, otherwise I'm sure we'll all drive each other nuts," he suggested and everyone voiced their agreement with the plan.

- - -

It had taken Ronon a long mental debate before he'd finally found himself back in Teyla's quarters after their sparring match. She'd still been in a bad mood after her argument with Bates and she'd been all too willing to blow off some steam. He'd been back again the following night as well though this time it hadn't been the fast search for release the first two times had been. A week later and he still found himself with her at night, whether in her quarters or his.

Ronon had left her room early in the morning and she had done the same when she was in his to ensure no one caught them, it would be difficult to explain away. Teyla didn't seem to mind, if anything she wanted to ensure they weren't caught more than him. It was her who would be handed over to Kolya of they were discovered after all.

The repairs to his ship were almost complete and Kale was out of the infirmary and back in command of his ship. He would be leaving tomorrow for which Ronon was grateful, having another commander around whilst he was sleeping with the Electus put him a little on edge. He wasn't entirely sure what he was doing with Teyla, it was a bad idea and during the day he constantly told himself he wouldn't do it again. Then night would arrive and he would ultimately end up standing outside her quarters or allowing her into his. It was a dangerous game they were playing but it seemed to be one that neither of them could give up.

It shouldn't be so hard to stop, it was nothing more than a way for them to blow off steam… right? It had to be, there was nothing more or less to it, they both needed the distraction and the release and that's all it was.

He stood behind her in the firing range as she fired the automatic weapon in her hand. Her skills had improved considerably, she handled weapons like any experienced soldier and fought better than most of them put together. They were evenly matched now, their sparring matches were always 50-50 unless one of them was having a really crappy day.

The Admiral seemed pleased enough with the situation as it was so unless their… nightly activities were discovered there was no danger of the Admiral taking Teyla and handing her to Kolya. The rumours that had been spreading through the crew whilst Ronon and Teyla had been avoiding each other had lessened and thankfully no one had gone as far as to mention any kind of relationship between them.

Teyla impacted all of the targets that were currently moving around in the firing range and very few shots actually missed. Of course it was far more difficult in real life but she would definitely be able to handle herself in a fire fight. She reloaded her weapon quickly and began firing again before repeating the motion at the end of that clip.

Ronon called for her to stop after the third ammo clip and she obliged immediately and turned to look at him as he approached her. "Lets put in a few friendlys ," he said as said as he manipulated a control panel and then moved back to allow her to work.

A few seconds later the image of an Alliance soldier moved across the firing range followed by another. Teyla shot them both before turning her gun on the next movement she caught. She was about to fire but stopped when she realised it was Vernai soldier. Several targets appeared at the same time them, some of them were Alliance and some of them were Vernai. Teyla took out all the Alliance ones and only clipped one of the Vernai. If it had been real the soldier would merely have a graze so he didn't pull her up on it. More targets moved across the range and it became so hectic that it did actually resemble a battlefield. Teyla continued to take out Alliance soldiers until one of them popped up with a Vernai hostage.

She hesitated only for a second before she fired her weapon, the bullet skimmed through the arm of the Vernai target and went straight through the Alliance target's chest. The Vernai would still be alive and the Alliance soldier would either be dead or severely injured.

Ronon finally called time and Teyla let out a breath of relief "Well that was interesting," she stated.

"You did good," he told her and she nodded her head a she went to put her weapon away.

"Dinner? I'm starving," she questioned and Ronon gestured for her to precede him through the door toward the cafeteria.

- - -

Rodney was abruptly torn from his sleep by an incessant beeping coming from close by. He blindly reached out for the source of the sound so that he could shut it up but couldn't find it. He reluctantly opened his eyes and found the device that was currently beeping away on his bedside table. He picked it up, turned it off and was about to go back to sleep when his half asleep brain finally caught up with him. He picked the device back up and looked at the display on the front. The words 'Discrepancy detected' were written across the front and he quickly jumped out of bed.

He searched around in the darkness for his pants and finally pulled them over his yellow boxers. He pulled his boots on and left the room without changing out of the baggy grey t shirt he usually wore for bed. He made his way to the bridge and immediately sat down at the sensors console. Pulling up the sensor logs he scrolled through them to the time and place the numbers on the device told him and found the gap in the sensor readings. It was small and had only lasted half a second but it was there.

He looked at the pilots seat and debated whether or not to adjust the course himself or go and get John. Deciding John would want to know that he had picked up the cloud on sensors anyway he headed back toward the bedrooms and to John's room. He knocked on the door once and then again a moment later and finally a sleepy looking John opened it.

"What is it Rodney?" he asked tiredly.

"The Cloud showed up on sensors," Rodney explained and John sighed.

"I'll be right there," he replied before closing the door and Rodney went back to the bridge. John arrived a minute behind him wearing baggy jeans and a loose fitting black top. His hair was still all over the place but at least he looked awake now. He moved over to where Rodney was sitting at the sensor console and leaned over.

"Alright where is it?" he asked and Rodney pulled it up on screen again, John looked closely at the readings before sitting down in the pilots chair. He changed their course, manipulating the controls expertly despite the fact that his mind was probably still asleep. "Damn cloud had to show up in the middle of the night," John mumbled under his breath.

"At least now we have some idea where we're going," Rodney stated.

"Fair point," John conceded as he stood up "I'm going back to bed."

Rodney watched him go and then turned to look out of the front window. Space was shooting by them in a mixture of colour and light as the ship glided through hyper space. This whole mission was terrifying, he'd always been relatively safe, going to a planet after the cloud had left and under tight security. Now he was travelling around in search of the cloud and with just a few agents for protection. At the same time he would get the chance to actually see the cloud and study it close up. He sighed, he was probably going to get killed on this mission.

- - -

"Thank you for your assistance Commander Kale," Ronon said as the commander left his ship for the final time. Bates was standing on his left sporting a black eye from where Teyla had hit him. Ronon was sure he wouldn't be telling his friends the truth about how he got that. Kale himself had a nasty cut on his head that was going to take some time to heal.

It turned out the explosive residue had come from a tiny explosive that had been planted on Commander Kale. Bates was still insisting that Teyla had done it during her brief meeting with him, the fact that she had hung back after Ronon and Kale walked away was not working in her favour. Ronon was sure he would get a call from the Admiral later but he didn't care, he knew Teyla hadn't done it.

"Apart from the obvious it was my pleasure," the commander replied and Ronon resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Every conversation that occurred between Vernai Commanders was just a load of crap, lies upon lies, it got rather tedious.

Kale and Bates turned and walked through the docking hatch back to their own ship and the door closed and sealed shut behind them. The clicking and thudding sounds indicated the docking clamps had disengaged and Ronon turned and headed for the bridge. They arrived in time to see Kale's ship enter hyperspace and Ronon had to admit, at least mentally, that he was rather relieved to see the back of the man. The assassination attempt had obviously been aimed at him and he didn't really feel like getting caught in another one.

"Helm resume our previous course," Ronon ordered before turning to his officers still at sensors. "Has there been any sign of the cloud in the last week?" he asked.

"We got a brief glimpse of it the last night sir," one of the officers informed him.

"We're already heading in that direction," the helm officer stated.

"Are there any Alliance worlds near there?" Ronon questioned.

"Yes sir, Keltar is the closest," he was informed and Ronon instructed the helm to head for Keltar.

TBC


	24. Chapter 24

**Fyd818 – **Rodney is rather clever isn't he lol, glad you liked John's middle of the night comment. Yep, Ronon and Teyla are still having their midnight meetings and neither are willing to acknowledge there's anything more to it. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

- - -

Chapter 24

"Now what?" Marcus questioned as the ship approached the co-ordinates where sensors had picked up what was probably the cloud.

"What's the nearest inhabited planet?" Rodney asked.

"Keltar," John replied after a few moments.

"Is that an Alliance world?" Rodney asked and when John nodded he continued "Well then that's where we should go."

"Why?" Elizabeth questioned from where she was leaning against the wall near the door to the bridge.

"Because we believe the Cloud can detect the presence of living beings, especially humans and it's attracted to them. It explains why it very rarely shows up on Vernai planets," Rodney informed them all as though this was something they should all know.

"Alright, so Keltar it is," John stated and quickly set a course "We should be there in a few hours."

Everyone nodded in acceptance and left the bridge, all except Elizabeth who stood in the doorway silently staring at the floor with an unreadable expression. John stood up and walked toward her, she didn't even notice him until he reached out to touch her arm. "You okay?" he asked her.

Elizabeth smiled, the questioned seemed to come out of his mouth a lot "Just… nervous I guess," she told him though that was an understatement. What she felt went way beyond nervousness, she was terrified.

"We'll be with you the whole time," he promised but it didn't really help.

"What exactly am I supposed to do when we get there, even if the cloud is there I have no idea how this works," she said voicing her worry.

"I'm sure it'll come to you," he told her. "That's what this mission is all about, allowing you the chance to learn to use your powers."

"What if I can't, what if it takes control of me again?" she questioned and John shook his head.

"You're prepared this time and even if it does, we can stun you and bring you back to the ship. I won't let anything happen to you," he swore and for some reason that actually helped this time.

She took a deep breath "I supposed I'd better go and get ready," she told him and headed away toward her quarters. She closed the door behind her and located some clothes more suitable for the mission than the baggy jeans and shirt she was already wearing. She pulled some black trousers out of her draws and a blue top, she changed into them and pulled on her boots. She knew she had a while left before they arrived at the planet but she needed to keep herself busy or she'd go insane with worry. She brushed her hair several times, put a jacket on only to take it off again and eventually forced herself to sit down and read her book.

- - -

They were only hours away from Keltar now and there was no sign of the Alliance yet which meant the cloud probably hadn't attacked yet. He knew they wouldn't have long after the cloud attacked before the Alliance got word and sent their people in so they would have to do what they came to do quickly. Teyla would hopefully get her chance to confront the dark cloud again.

Ronon was in his office going through reports once again, the alliance attack had done some serious damage to his ship. It had left him with yet another mountain of data pads all full of reports on the repairs. Fortunately they were now back to a hundred percent so if the Alliance did show up at Keltar they'd be able to defend themselves.

The door chime sounded and he sighed as he looked up from his report and shouted for whoever it was to come in. The doors opened and he was surprised to see Teyla walk into his office.

"Well this is nice," she said as the doors closed behind her and she took in her surroundings. It only just dawned on him that in all the time she'd been here she had never been in his office. "Could do with some different colours."

"What can I do for you?" he asked patiently as she finished her appraisal of his office and slumped into the chair on the opposite side of his desk.

"I'm bored," she told him sounding exasperated by the concept. "You've been in here doing… whatever you're doing all day and I have nothing to do."

"I have to get through these reports," he informed her but from the look of it she wasn't planning to go anywhere unless she had something to do. She picked up the statue that rested on his desk, it was of some animal though he'd never really bothered to look. It was a gift given to all Commanders by the Admiral so he had no choice to be to accept and display it. "We should be arriving on Keltar in about six hours until then I'm afraid there's nothing I can do to alleviate your boredom."

"Well that's not entirely true," she stated without looking at him as she turned the statue over in her hands. He caught the meaning behind her words and had to suppress a smile that she was so cavalier about the whole thing. For a brief moment he entertained the notion but he had reports to get through and it would be best if he did it before they reached Keltar.

"I really have to get through these," he told her and she finally looked up at the stack of data pads still sitting on his desk.

"Can I help?" she asked hopefully and Ronon decided to take pity on her handing her half of the pads.

"Read through these and then sum them up for me, I'll sign them and then they're done," he instructed her and she nodded her head as she picked up the first pad. He watched her for a moment as she began her task and wondered how long it would take her before she realised how immensely boring this job was.

- - -

Elizabeth walked down the ramp of the Venture and into the space port of Keltar. It looked the same as any of the other ports she'd visited over the last few months. They quickly left the space port and as usual found themselves in the planet's main market place. People were running from stall to stall buying and selling whatever they could, all of them unaware of the fate that no doubt awaited them. The dark cloud was probably on its way here, in fact it should be there already and at any moment it would strike and the majority of these people would be killed. That was unless she could somehow tap into a power that she wasn't entirely sure she had and had no idea how to use. In that moment her part in all of this seemed more real and more daunting to her than it had since she'd found who and what she was.

John was a few steps ahead of her and as if sensing her doubts he fell back to walk beside her. Carson and Laura were still up ahead and Marcus was behind her arguing with Rodney. Their lives were in danger now too, if she failed to stop the cloud then they would all be killed along with the rest of the planets population. They had all placed an extraordinary amount of trust and faith in her and instead of spurring her on like she knew it should it weighed heavily on her, she couldn't afford to fail.

"This planet is huge, how are we supposed to know where it is?" Marcus questioned.

"We don't," Rodney replied "This is the most populated area of the city, it should be where the cloud is most drawn to."

"So we just have to keep wondering around and hope we have the right place?" Marcus questioned, clearly he did not like the idea and Elizabeth had to admit there seemed to be some flaws in the plan. She would have backed Marcus up but she could feel a familiar cold creeping into her head and the dull pain that she could so easily pass off as a minor headache. It was the only warning she had and she was about to voice it when she was cut off by a scream up ahead. That screamed was followed by another and another as panicked voices filled the air. Fear swept through the crowd like a wave as people realised what was happening and tried to run.

"It's here, it's here," someone shouted as they ran by.

"It's the dark cloud," another person shouted and Elizabeth went rigid, she'd known from the first scream what was going on but to hear it confirmed only added to the growing fear she was feeling. They were now the only people in the market place who weren't running, the crowd was so chaotic they were having trouble staying together as they were nearly dragged away by the masses of frightened people.

"Come on," John shouted over the noise as he grabbed Elizabeth's arm and headed in the opposite direction to the crowd. He had to push his way through and his hold on Elizabeth increased as he tried to keep her with him. Every step they took brought more coldness and pain into Elizabeth's mind and something else, the quiet presence she knew would not remain quiet for long.

The crowd finally thinned out, John and Elizabeth stopped along with the others who had been a few seconds behind them. Elizabeth's eyes widened in shear terror as she took in the sight before her. The large mass of darkness was heading straight for them, it encompassed the entire width of the street and rose as higher than many of the buildings. It moved slowly but Elizabeth knew it would only be a few minutes before it was upon them.

Abruptly, as though someone had taken a knife and rammed it through her skull, she felt the pain in her mind increase ten fold. The presence that until that moment had remained silent suddenly attacked with a forcefulness that took Elizabeth by surprise. She recovered quickly though and fought against it for control of her own mind and body. John moved beside her and she vaguely heard Rodney saying that they were all going to die snd Marcus and Laura trying to shut him up.

Their presence gave her more strength as she remembered what was at stake, she pushed the cloud back and out of her mind before forcing her way through the connection. She could almost visualise it, a bridge leading from her mind into the cloud's and she crossed it. Taking control of both herself and the cloud she stopped it from advancing further. Beside her she could hear Rodney saying something but she couldn't make out the exact words and she ignored it, she had to focus or she would lose what ground she had gained.

She went further into the mind of the cloud, she barely registered her hands rising unconsciously as she tried to push the cloud backwards. It took every bit of strength and energy she had but the dark mass moved back. As if the cloud had understood that this battle was lost it backed away completely and for a split second she shared thoughts with the cloud. It was the briefest of glimpses into her enemy's mind before it was gone but it was enough for her to know just how far in over her head she was.

It was almost like she had blacked out for a few seconds because the next thing she knew was she was facing John with both his hands on her arms as he tried to get her attention.

"Elizabeth," he said adamantly.

"Sorry," she replied trying to fight off the disorientation that was still fogging her mind. John let out a breath of relief and Carson was suddenly fussing over her.

"How are you feeling lass, any pain, nausea?" he questioned and Elizabeth shook her head but allowed him to keep fussing. She knew he wouldn't be happy until he had assured himself she was still in perfect health, perfect health with a slight headache anyway.

"I'm fine, Carson," she insisted after a while "Though I could do with an aspirin."

"As soon as we get back to the ship," he told her "And I'm going to insist you get some sleep."

"And I'm not going to argue with you," she informed him with a small smile and watched as he returned to Laura's side.

"How about we get back to the ship," Marcus suggested and with everyone agreed they headed back toward the space port. A few people were beginning to emerge from wherever they'd been hiding or running to. They all looked completely baffled that the cloud was gone and they were all still alive.

The space port was obviously missing a few ships that had most likely taken off to escape the cloud. They boarded the Venture and John sent Marcus to the bridge to get them underway. Elizabeth went straight to her room and John followed Carson to the infirmary to retrieve the pain killer for her.

"She did good," Carson commented as he opened one of the small cabinets to retrieve the painkiller which he handed over to John.

"She did great," John replied as he left the infirmary. He arrived outside Elizabeth's room and knocked on the door. He heard the muffled 'come in' and walked into the room to find Elizabeth moving to sit on her bed now wearing the baby blue pyjamas he vaguely remembered her buying on one of the shopping trips he'd somehow wound up taking her on.

"Hey," she greeted tiredly.

"Hey, how you feeling?" he asked as he crossed the room and sat down next to her.

"Exhausted," she admitted "And my head is killing me," she added as she took the pill John had brought for her.

"You were really amazing," he told her and she smiled slightly and looked at the floor. "I knew you could do it."

"Really?" she questioned "Cos I wasn't so sure."

"You saved a lot of lives today Elizabeth," he stated. She hadn't realised the extent of what she'd done, it hadn't really hit her, how many people she'd saved just by making the small amount of progress that she did. Once again she found her part in this seeming all the more real to her only this time the thought didn't seem quite so daunting. "Get some sleep," John instructed and Elizabeth did as she was told climbing into bed and listening to the tell tale signs of him leaving the room and the door closing behind him.

John walked to the bridge where Marcus was talking to Laura, they were still in orbit of Keltar and John figured Marcus was waiting to be given a heading. "How's she doing?" he asked as John moved to stand between the pilots chair and the one where Laura was currently sitting at sensors.

"She's tired," he informed them "But she'll be fine."

"That was pretty incredible," Laura stated and Marcus nodded in agreement.

"And she did it first time, she's stronger than she looks," Marcus added and then took a deep breath as he changed the conversation "Where to boss?"

"Wait a minute, why does he get to be the boss?" Laura questioned.

"Seems logical," Marcus shrugged and Laura cocked her head in a manner that showed she was conceding the point.

"I don't know, pick a direction and head in it. Until the cloud shows up on sensors again we're flying blind," John informed them and Marcus turned back to the console to plot a course.

"That seems to be a common theme in our plans doesn't it? Wonder around aimlessly and hope we stumble onto something helpful," Marcus stated and John agreed that it wasn't the best way to go about this but it was the only way they had.

"I'm picking something up on sensors," Laura informed them as she turned her full attention to the console in front of her. "It's a Vernai ship dropping out of hyper space."

"Well then it's a good thing we're about to do the opposite," John said as he turned to look at Marcus who nodded and activated the hyperdrive.

TBC


	25. Chapter 25

**Steph7085 – **Thanks for the review, I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

- - -

Chapter 25

Ronon and his men had arrived at in orbit of Keltar an hour ago only to find that the population was still very much alive. It was possible they had been wrong about where the cloud was going but there had been only one way to find out. He had ordered his ship to move away from the planet to avoid detection and had then come down to the planet onboard his private shuttle along with Teyla. Fortunately his shuttle had no connection to the Vernai so no alarms went off when they arrived and since neither of them wore Vernai uniforms they were able to move freely among the population.

He'd heard people talking about the cloud attack so he knew it had to have been here yet the people were still alive. He finally decided he would just have to ask someone and found that they were all eager to tell the story.

It sounded impossible but the fact that people were even around to tell him was proof enough of what they were saying. The cloud had simply disappeared, it had been here one moment and the next it had gone. He was sure it wasn't as simple as that, in fact that explanation made it seem like some cheap magic trick. There was only one explanation for it… the other Electus.

Elizabeth Weir had to have been on the planet and it had to have been her who had stopped the cloud. If that was the case then she was well on her way to controlling her powers. He looked at Teyla and from the look on her face he knew she had drawn the same conclusion.

"She was here," she said quietly after they had walked away from the two market dwellers. "She was here an hour ago."

The thought that she had been so close to Elizabeth seemed to have left Teyla in a state of bewilderment. He couldn't blame her, the last time she had seen Elizabeth they had both been fleeing for their lives and after months of living separately with a life so full of twists it must seem like a surreal possibility that she had almost been in the same place as her.

"Her control must be pretty good if she was able to stop the cloud from attacking the planet," Ronon stated trying to bring Teyla's attention back to the situation. "You were only able to force it back a little when you encountered it."

"I'll do better next time," she stated and Ronon stopped and looked at her.

"I didn't mean that in a bad way," he told her and she nodded her head.

"I know, but if Elizabeth has already gained this much control then I need to catch up otherwise she will be able to overpower me," she explained and Ronon continued to stare at her for a moment. They hadn't talked about what she was expected to do since he had first captured her. She had insisted that she would never help the Vernai to destroy humanity and whilst he had slowly changed her, made her into one of the Vernai he didn't know if that had changed. Was she willing now to use her power against the human race?

"Don't look so shocked," Teyla told him as though she'd read his mind and he figured his face must have been like an open book for a moment. "I've killed people, threatened a Vernai Commander who I'm sure has very sinister plans for me and given a Vernai Colonel a black eye for accusing me of helping the Alliance. The thought that I really am working for the Vernai now should not surprise you."

Ronon smirked, it was all he could do. After months of training her and making her into what she was now she could still turn around and surprise him. One thing was for certain, she was no longer the frightened, naïve, little girl he had captured on Corlain.

- - -

"What do you mean you didn't get any data?" Marcus asked as the group sat in the eating area.

John watched as Rodney shrank back looking slightly ashamed at his lack of data. Elizabeth just seemed slightly amused by the display though it was obvious she had hoped Rodney would have gathered some data on exactly what they were facing. She had slept for several hours before she had emerged from her room looking well rested and ready to face whatever life had to throw at her next. It seemed her victory over the cloud had at least temporarily given her a boost.

"I was a little bit busy worrying about my life," Rodney informed them "In case you didn't notice there was a giant man eating cloud looming over us."

"Really?" Marcus asked feigning surprise "I hadn't noticed, did you see that?" he asked Laura who shook her head with a look of mock surprise.

"You're all a bunch of simple minded children, how in the universe I got stuck with you lot I'll never understand. It must be punishment for the day I skipped school back in fourth grade, that has to be it," Rodney complained and Marcus and Laura exchanged a glace before they both looked at Rodney.

"Just remember to take readings next time," Marcus instructed him clearly exasperated with the conversation.

"We really need to come up with a better way to track the cloud than just hoping it pops up on sensors," John stated now that the bickering was over, the three of them could seriously act like a bunch of five year olds at times.

"There isn't another way," Rodney informed them.

"Well maybe if you'd taken readings we'd have more information and be able to find another way," Laura told him bitterly.

"And maybe if you had a higher IQ you could take the readings yourself," Rodney shot back and John was sure Laura was on the verge of sticking her tongue out.

"Well we're not all egotistical super geniuses who have an IQ the size of a planet and balls the size of a peanut," Marcus jumped in when it was clear Laura had no come back. Laura gave him an appreciative nod as she tried not to laugh, Elizabeth and Carson were also trying not to laugh and even John was amused. Rodney just looked like a dear caught in headlights and clearly had no response. Instead he stood up and left the room muttering about childish morons and dumb blondes.

"He's right though," Marcus said after Rodney was out of the room and hopefully out of earshot. "I don't see any other way, I mean you saw that thing back on Keltar it just shrunk until it disappeared. No bodies ever even seen it when it's not attacking, as much as I hate it I think stumbling around in the dark is all we have right now."

"Maybe next time someone should remind him to take readings and hopefully we'll find something useful then," Elizabeth spoke up and Carson it seemed to agree with her.

"Besides with our luck, the cloud will find us before we find it anyway," Carson commented and John smiled as he picked up his apple and left the table. He heard the tell tale signs of someone following him as he entered the bridge and sat down in the pilots chair. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was as Elizabeth dropped down in the chair at the sensors console.

"Marcus told me that a Vernai ship dropped out of hyperspace just as we entered it," she stated and John had a feeling he knew where this was going. He'd been thinking about it himself a lot since. "Do you think she was on there?"

"Possibly," was his non committal answer "If they're looking for the cloud too it stands to reason Teyla would be on the ship that's tracking it."

"And since that ship arrived just after a cloud attack it's most probably the one tracking it," Elizabeth finished "She was so close."

"I know what you're thinking," he told her and she looked at him and smiled slightly.

"I'm not stupid enough to actually think we should try it," she reassured him "If we were going to rescue her we should have done it months ago, it's too late now. She's one of them, she won't even want or need rescuing anymore."

"It's not your fault, you didn't know she was still alive," he stated and she nodded her head.

"I know that… but it doesn't stop me wondering what things would be like if I had," she said sadly as she turned her gaze out of the window clearly in a world all her own. He didn't say anything, there was nothing to say, he watched her for a moment before turning his own gaze out of the window to the colours flying by as they moved blindly through space. He hated not knowing where they were going, not having a direction to travel in. They were purely relying on luck and that didn't sit well with him, too much staying still and waiting, it would slowly drive him nuts.

- - -

The few days following the most recent cloud attack had been completely routine. Ronon's officers had constantly watched the sensors for any sign of the cloud with out success. Ronon did all of the work that came with running a command vessel, trained with Teyla when ever he could and of course, despite his better judgement, spent his nights with Teyla. They were both under a lot of stress and their nightly rendezvous provided them both the chance to blow of some steam, neither of them were willing to lose that outlet just yet.

The rumours that had been circulating the crew while they had been avoiding each other had all but died now. No one seemed to have any suspicions as to what they were now doing so as long as they continued to be careful there was no chance of the Admiral finding out.

Teyla walked onto the bridge and headed immediately to his command chair, obviously she was bored again. The crew were getting used to her random visits to the bridge. They were never going to like her, she was human and the Electus after all but it seemed they were beginning to accept her as part of the crew. Often when she came to the bridge bored, depending on the mood of the crew, they would find her something to do.

"Bored again?" Ronon questioned as she approached.

"Am I that obvious?" she asked.

"No, just predictable," he told her and smiled slightly at the look of mock surprise and hurt that crossed her features. He knew she was anything but predictable but he also knew she would hate it if she was. "I'd tell you to watch sensors but you'd probably get bored of that within a few minutes."

"Yeah probably," she conceded.

"I'll be finished here in an hour," he told her "I'll meet you in the gym."

She smiled and turned to leave the bridge, he watched her go and felt someone move to stand on the other side of him. He turned to see his second in command standing there waiting to speak.

"What is it Tolman?" he asked knowing full well he wasn't going to like whatever the colonel had to say, he very rarely did.

"I think you're getting too involved sir," he stated, his tone seemed respectful enough but Ronon could hear the underlying disgust. "She is the Electus and you are a Vernai Commander, I don't think it's wise that you get too close to her."

If only he knew the half of it, Ronon thought to himself but decided those thoughts were best kept in his head and no where else. "She needs to trust me if she's going to work for us," Ronon stated choosing his words carefully. "And she isn't going to trust some automaton that won't give her the time of day. Is there anything else?"

"No sir," Tolman replied before walking back over to his chair at the side of the room where he could see everything Ronon could on the panel by his side.

"Sir," one of his officers called and he turned to the source of the voice at sensors "We're picking up a discrepancy… it's gone again."

"Send the co-ordinates to the helm and set a course," Ronon ordered and watched as the sensor information passed across the display on his command panel. It was less than a day away. "Are there any Alliance planets in the area?"

"Two sir, opposite directions and at an equal distance," he was informed and Ronon had to think for a moment. If they picked the wrong one they would miss the cloud completely.

"Stay on course for the clouds last known location, let's see if we pick up another sign," he ordered and the display showed that his people were carrying out their orders.

- - -

Teyla was knocked to the floor for the third time in their sparring session and it was beginning to wear thin. She couldn't keep her mind focused on what she was doing and Ronon was taking full advantage of it. He'd told her they'd located the cloud again and were heading for it's last known location. She'd get another shot at the cloud providing Elizabeth didn't get there first again.

Elizabeth… she couldn't work out what she thought about the woman who used to be like her sister. She'd left her at the hands of the Vernai, if Ronon hadn't been given custody of her she could have been completely destroyed. She'd been nothing more than a frail, little girl when this had all started and someone like Kolya would easily have broken her. Still, Elizabeth had been like her sister and something of that bond must have survived right?

At that moment all she could feel with regards to Elizabeth was a need to beat her, to be the one to control the cloud. It wasn't a sisterly feeling, it was competition and perhaps a small amount of hate, she had abandoned her after all.

Their lives had taken different paths, these were the lives they'd both not only been given but they'd chosen. Teyla was one of the Vernai now and Elizabeth was Alliance, it was really that simple. They were on opposite sides of a war, Elizabeth was her enemy and Teyla was hers. If it came down to it they would have to treat each other as such, Elizabeth would have to suffer the same fate as any other Alliance soldier she came across. It wouldn't be that easy, she knew that, but it was the way things were and the way they would have to be. Wow her thoughts were a jumbled mess right now.

"You're not concentrating," Ronon chastised and Teyla ignored him as she went and sat down in the corner with her gym bag. She glanced briefly at her bantos rods which still lay on the floor where she'd dropped them when she'd fallen. She heard Ronon sigh and moved to sit next to her.

"Elizabeth Weir," he said quietly and Teyla looked at him surprised that he knew what was bothering her.

"I'm not sure how I'll react if I see her again and with both of us hunting the cloud it seems likely that I will. It didn't really hit me until you said we'd found it again, she probably saw it too, she's probably heading to the same place we are right now," she told him sounding confused by her own explanation. "I hate her but at the same time I don't."

"Well, we'll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it. No sense worrying about it, you'll react however you react and fretting about it now isn't going to change that," he stated "One more round," he said as he stood up and held his hand out to her. She took it and allowed him to help her stand up before collecting her bantos rods and moving into position.

TBC


	26. Chapter 26

**Steph7085 – **Flattery will get you nowhere lol. I'm glad you're enjoying the story and I hope you enjoy this chapter too, thanks for the review.

**Fyd818 – **Wow, I'm glad you enjoyed the last two chapters and that you like this fic. Things are going to start getting interesting both with the cloud and with Teyla and Elizabeth. Bickering is always fun to write and the SGA cast just make it more fun. I'm glad you liked Teyla's thoughts during the sparring scene. Thanks for the review and hope you enjoy this chapter.

- - -

Chapter 26

The Venture sat in Dralis Space Port as it's occupants walked away and into the market place. They'd had to take a gamble as to which direction the Cloud had gone, there had been two planets at an equal distance from where they'd last seen the cloud on sensors. This planet had the slightly higher population and they just had to hope that the cloud had been attracted to that. It didn't take more than few minutes for them to confirm their theory.

The screaming, running and panicking began almost as soon as they had walked out of the space port. People were running past them hoping to get to the ships and away from the planet before they were killed. Thankfully the Venture was locked down, even if by some chance they managed to get inside the ship, the systems were password protected so there was no chance of their ship being stolen. They headed in the opposite direction to the running people knowing that was where they'd find the cloud.

"It's coming," someone shouted in a panicked voice and up ahead they heard more screaming though this time it was not the same fearful screaming they had gotten used to. It was terror and pain, screaming that died away as those the sound belonged to were killed.

If they were so close to it then surely they should be able to see it by now. The cloud only got larger as it attacked so it should be visible by now. Elizabeth knew for sure it was there, she could feel the cold and the pain creeping into her mind and the presence that always accompanied it. As usual it was quiet, biding it's time until she was close enough, until it was prepared to attack.

"Where is it?" she heard Marcus ask.

A young man came running around the corner John quickly grabbed him as he tried to run by. "Where is it?" he asked and the man looked at him confused as if trying to figure out why someone would want to go looking for it.

"It's going back," the man told him breathlessly.

"What do you mean it's going back?" John questioned.

"It just started heading in the opposite direction, we have to leave now while we still can," the frightened man informed them. John let go of him and he continued to run away. Elizabeth could have confirmed the man's words, the cold presence was receding from her mind except this time she found herself clinging to it, searching it out in an effort to understand why it was suddenly turning back.

"Let's hurry," John said almost breaking into a run as they continued to try and make their way through the crowd which was now beginning to thin out.

- - -

Teyla let out a sigh of relief as the cloud finally moved back, she continued to force it backwards until it surrendered and left completely. The mental battle was over and she had won. Ronon was standing beside her along with several other Vernai soldiers who had tried to follow it only to return with the news that it had vanished.

"Perhaps we should do the same before the Alliance arrive," Ronon suggested as they turned to head back toward the shuttle they had landed a short distance away. The people who had moments ago been running in fear began to return looking at the space where the cloud had once stood staring in awe.

Through the gathering crowd she saw the familiar figure emerge, Elizabeth Weir was standing right in front of her. She was shocked into paralysis at first, she couldn't move, she could barely breathe, she'd known this moment was coming. Elizabeth seemed oblivious to Teyla's presence, she was with a group of people, most of whom she recognised from the security footage of the attack on Ronon's factory. They were talking to some of the market goers, probably trying to figure out where the cloud had gone.

Ronon stepped up beside her "We have to go," he told her and followed her gaze "If they're here the rest of the Alliance will already be on their way, you can confront her later."

Teyla nodded and turned to follow Ronon, she looked back in time to see Elizabeth turn to look at her. Shock covered her former friends face and she seemed to be finding coherent thought as difficult as Teyla had. One of the Agents she was with turned to look at her, they said something that must have snapped her out of her reverie because she looked at him and then with a small nod of her head she gestured toward Teyla.

The Agent didn't do anything and Teyla quickly ran to catch up with Ronon. There were only a few of them and they were outnumbered by the Vernai but she wasn't about to risk getting shot.

"You alright?" Ronon asked her as she strapped herself into the chair beside his.

"I don't know," she told him honestly as the shuttle took off leaving the planet and Elizabeth behind them.

- - -

"She was right there," Elizabeth whispered more to herself than to John as they both sat in the eating area. The rest of the ship had gone to sleep leaving the two of them alone. "Right there."

John for his part was remaining quiet and allowing her to work out her own thoughts, besides he really didn't know what to say.

"She really is working for them, I wasn't entirely sure I believed it but now that I've actually seen it," she was obviously only thinking aloud. "Why did you let them get away?" she asked suddenly.

"They outnumbered us, if we'd tried to stop them they would probably have killed us," he explained and she nodded her head in a silent show of understanding.

"I can't kill her," she stated after several moments silence.

"She has as much control of the cloud as you do, so long as she is working for the Vernai humanity isn't safe," he told her though he knew she already knew that. It was why the knowledge that she wouldn't be able to kill her was weighing so heavily on her.

"She's like my sister, the closest thing I've ever had to family, how can anyone ask me to kill her?" she questioned rhetorically and John felt no need to answer. This whole burden was unfair on her, the council were resting the fate of humanity on just one person, it was amazing she hadn't completely broken under the strain. This latest blow was just another unfair expectation to add to her growing list.

Their silence was interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching and moments later Marcus walked through the small archway that led from the bedrooms to the kitchen. "I though everyone would be asleep by now," he commented as he padded bare foot into the kitchen and opened the small fridge.

"Couldn't sleep," Elizabeth stated as she walked over to join Marcus behind the counter he was making a sandwich on. Elizabeth grabbed the bread from behind him and handed it to him "Make me one?" she requested and Marcus smiled.

"Anything for you," he told her and then looked at John "Want one?"

"No thanks," John replied and watched as Elizabeth helped Marcus with his obviously half asleep mind to finish the sandwiches. They both joined him at the table by which point Marcus seemed a little more awake. "Why are you awake?" John asked after a moment.

"Couldn't sleep either, every time I managed to doze off I'd wake back up again a few minutes later. It was starting to drive me nuts," Marcus explained as he took a large bite of his sandwich. Shortly after their return to the ship he and Elizabeth had informed the others that they'd seen Teyla on the planet. It had made them all rather agitated as though the visual confirmation of where the other Electus was had been all they needed to start worrying about it. Sleeplessness had always been Marcus's response to stress or worry.

Laura merely became irritable which was something they were all afraid of. She was a head case on a good day and scary on a bad one, they just had to hope Carson could keep her calm. Otherwise both Marcus and Rodney were in for a few horrible days since bickering with them would be her outlet. Rodney's response was always similar to Laura and their verbal battles always became more explosive when they were both under stress. Carson simply got quiet, he wasn't a particularly loud person but when he was stressed he rarely spoke if he didn't have to. So far everyone was showing their respective symptoms, John had been sure the argument between Laura and Rodney a few hours ago was going to end in the destruction of the ship.

- - -

It seemed to be becoming a regular thing with her now, her thoughts were always a jumbled mess. Every time she thought she had them figured out something would come along and mess them back up again. If she wasn't killing people she was sleeping with her commanding officer and when she wasn't doing that she was coming face to face with her past in the form of a woman she would probably shoot given the chance.

Complicated seemed far to simple a word for her life at that moment in time.

Ronon was as understanding as he always was, he'd given her some space to sort her head out. Once she was sure that her mentally stability was far too gone for her to ever retrieve she had headed to his quarters. He'd been doing reports when she'd let herself in and from the look of his face he wasn't surprised when she showed up. Why should he be? They'd spent every night together since the day he'd been caught in the explosion. She needed the outlet he provided her with more in that moment than she had since they'd got themselves into this mess. She had quickly silenced the voice telling her that it was him she needed, that was so not the case, she needed the outlet, pure and simple.

Okay maybe not pure and definitely not simple but it didn't change the fact that it was the outlet she needed and not Ronon himself. If she wanted to she could quite happily end this and never look back.

That night had been fast and desperate, she'd needed to feel something other than the anger and resentment she felt toward her former friend. She wanted something that wasn't the permanent state of confusion she seemed to be stuck in. Ronon seemed all too willing to oblige and it hadn't been long before she hadn't been thinking or feeling anything outside that room. Of course her escape only lasted so long and when morning had arrived she found all the things she'd been trying to rid herself off had returned. All except for her damn jacket, the search for her lost piece of clothing was momentarily distracting her from her thoughts.

Ronon was sitting on the bed fully dressed reading a report and occasionally glancing up at Teyla in amusement. She knew she had it when she walked through the door and after that… well she hadn't really been in the frame of mind to notice where her clothes were going.

"Just forget about it, you can find it later," Ronon told her when he'd had enough of watching her walk backwards and forwards around his room. Teyla pulled her head out from under the bed, it hadn't been kicked under there at any point then. She stood up straight and put her hands on her hips.

"That's my favourite jacket," she told him in a voice that said she wasn't going anywhere until she found it.

"We'll by you a new one," he stated but she wasn't having any of it.

"I don't want a new one I want that one," she argued and continued her search. Ronon left her to it and went back to his report just in time to hear Teyla's triumphant "Ah ha, I found it!"

He looked up to see her leaning over the back of the large chair in the corner of his room. She pulled herself out from behind it, her hair a mess from having been hanging upside down. The jacket was now in her hand and she looked very pleased at having found it. He had to smile at the image as she put the jacket down on the chair and straightened out her hair before putting the jacket on. "How the hell did it end up behind there?" she questioned, not really expecting an answer as she crossed the room. "Thank you so much for going out of your way to help me find it," she added sarcastically as she dropped down onto the bed in front of him.

"My pleasure," he replied without looking up from his report until Teyla abruptly ripped it from his hands.

"What's on here anyway?" she asked and upon realising it was just a security report she allowed him to take it back. "Thank you," she said after a moment and he knew she was no longer talking about the jacket. Her tone was serious now and he wasn't entirely sure how to respond so he simply nodded and went back to his report.

Deciding she needed to find something to do before she wound up back inside her thoughts again she stood up. "I should go now before the day shift starts waking up," she stated before leaving the room without another word from Ronon. She walked through the still quiet corridors of the ship, it was early so most of the crew were still asleep. Only the night shift were currently working but she was careful not to be seen until she was closer to her own quarters. She didn't want to risk being seen leaving her commanders quarters at this early hour.

Yep, complicated, not nearly a strong enough word for her life.

TBC


	27. Chapter 27

**Fyd818 – **I'm really glad the scene with Liz and Teyla seeing each other again went well, it was a kinda important scene lol. I figured since they've become opposite types of people now then their reactions to each other should reflect that. Teyla has a lot of bottled up anger towards Elizabeth which Ronon helped to nurture but Elizabeth just feels guilty for allowing Teyla to end up with the Vernai. I'm glad you liked the chapter and thanks for the review.

**Jammeke – **Wow, I'm glad you like the story and the tension building up between Elizabeth and Teyla and of course John as an Agent (joins in fainting) Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Steph7085** – Thanks, glad you liked it. 

- - -

Chapter 27

"It doesn't just disappear," Rodney said as if it was the most preposterous things he'd ever heard.

"You saw what we saw," Marcus argued "It just shrunk back until it was gone. I'm not saying it just vanished into thin air but it did disappear."

"It probably just shrinks until it's too small to be seen," Rodney informed him.

"Could you see it?" Marcus asked.

"No."

"Then it disappeared," Marcus concluded, abruptly ending the argument for which Elizabeth was grateful. Laura had just walked in and if she'd gotten involved it could have got ugly… and loud. She had a killer headache and even sleeping for a few hours hadn't got rid of it. She recognised the feeling, she knew what it was, the cloud's presence still in her mind. It had been there for days now and there'd been no sign of it taking over so she was just trying to ignore it now.

It was strange, they'd been nowhere near the cloud for several days now yet she could still feel it. It was still lingering in the back of her mind and she had to wonder what that meant. Carson walked into the eating area a few minutes behind Laura and took his place next to her. The group started talking among themselves, two different conversations going off, plus the sound of Rodney rattling about in the kitchen as well as the usual ship noises were combing to make her headache worse. She stood up and excused herself from the table before heading out into the corridor. She walked past the doors to the bedrooms and to the end of the corridor.

There was a small area at the end with a large window that looked out into space, or hyperspace as it was at the moment. She sat down on the metal deck plating and leant back against the wall behind her. She closed her eyes and revelled in the almost silence of the area. The only sound was the quiet hum of the engines, she could hear the others vaguely but it was quiet enough that she could just ignore it.

Opening her eyes again she looked out of the large window and allowed her mind to drift. Of all the ways she thought her life would go this was definitely not it. She'd had so may plans for her life, she'd wanted to become a diplomat, to try and find a peaceful solution to the conflict between the Alliance and the Vernai, instead of the constant war that despite knowing very little about it, she wanted to help stop. Not once had she thought she'd end up in the war, fighting not just for her own survival but the survival of all humanity.

She'd lived such a sheltered life, been so over protected and it had made her naïve. She was both thankful and angry at Tenal for that. He'd never told them of their destiny or of the cloud, what they knew of the war was what they heard from people in the main city. They knew it was brutal and costing lives on both sides but she'd never realised just how brutal. She hadn't been prepared for this, any of it, Tenal must have seen that, he must have known how difficult it would be for them to go into this so completely blind. Had he ever planned to tell them?

She was sure this was not how he'd wanted things to end up. The two girls he'd raised from babies, who he'd turned into a family were now fighting against each other. Teyla was working for the very enemy he'd died trying to protect them from and was now on a mission to destroy the human race. Elizabeth was a mess, her mind was such a jumbled chaotic mess that most of the time her thoughts didn't even make sense. Her emotions were so up and down that she was sure she was going to develop a disorder.

"Elizabeth," the voice interrupted the silence of her sanctuary but it wasn't necessarily an unwelcome interruption. "You down here?" he questioned.

"Here," she replied quietly as she closed her eyes again. She felt more than heard him enter her small sanctuary and she opened her eyes again to see him standing there watching her. "I have a headache," she explained "Needed to get away."

"Do you want me to go?" he asked her.

"No, it's fine," she replied quickly, a little too quickly and he smiled and sat down next to her.

"I haven't been down here before," he stated "Nice view," he added gesturing toward the window and Elizabeth had to smile slightly.

"It is isn't it," she replied after a moment.

"Carson can probably give you something," he told her.

"He did the other day, didn't work," she informed him grateful that he was keeping his own voice down.

"You've had it for a few days?" he questioned sounding surprised and she nodded her head slowly.

"It's the cloud, I can still feel it in my head," she explained.

"Why didn't you say something?" he sounded slightly angry but he was still keeping his voice down.

"Because it's not doing anything, it's just there in the back of my head. Other than the headache it's giving me it's not doing any harm," she told him but he still looked at her, worried and sceptical. "Trust me John, if it becomes a threat in anyway, I'll tell you."

"Sheppard!" they heard Rodney shouting as he came running in their direction and Elizabeth closed her eyes "Where the hell are you? Sheppard!"

John sighed and stood up, leaving the small alcove as Rodney continued to yell his name "Sheppa… Ow! What did you do that for?"

"Would you just keep your voice down," she heard John hiss and she stood up to follow him.

"The cloud showed up on sensors again, just thought you'd wanna know," Rodney said, clearly still upset about being smacked upside the head, since she was sure that's what John had done. Rodney turned around and headed back toward the bridge and John was about to follow when he noticed Elizabeth was behind him now.

"You gonna be up for this?" he asked her and she shrugged.

"Do I have a choice?" she countered and they made their way to the bridge in silence. Marcus was already in the pilots chair and Rodney was sitting at sensors.

"There's no Alliance planets anywhere near that area," Rodney told them and John frowned for a moment, that didn't really help them much.

"Alright just set a course for it's last known co-ordinates, we'll just have to hope it shows up on sensors again," John decided and then turned to leave the bridge only to be stopped by Marcus.

"We have an incoming transmission," he stated drawing John's attention back. "It's coming in on the UOT frequency."

"What's that?" Elizabeth asked when the looks on everyone's faces told her that wasn't something that happened everyday.

"It stands for 'Undercover Operatives Transmission', it's what our undercover people use when they need to get a message to the Alliance but have no direct way to contact them," John explained briefly "Put it up," he instructed Marcus.

A moment later the screen near Marcus's console flickered to the image of a young man wearing Vernai military clothing. "Bates," John greeted.

"Oh of all the people who had to pick up my transmission…" Bates trailed off, apparently they knew each other.

"A pleasure as always Bates," John responded "And that's a very nice bruise you have there," he added referring to the obviously still sore mass of blue on the operatives face "Who gave you that?"

"The Electus," he replied "I don't have long before the scramble programme I'm using loses affect. I'm sending you a report, I would have sent it sooner but this is the first chance I've had, see that the Council gets it."

"And here I was planning to make it bedtime reading," John stated sarcastically and Bates looked like he was trying not to roll his eyes.

"I have to go, Bates out," the young operative said before ending the transmission. John checked the computer for the report and found it waiting there for him to open and read. "They tried to assassinate Commander Kale," John said as he skimmed through it. "Looks like he got ambitious and tried to take out Dex too."

"That's the commander that has Teyla," Elizabeth stated and John nodded as he continued to read.

"Kale was helping him with repairs after an Alliance attack, Bates planted a micro explosive on Kale but he must not have attached it properly because the explosion didn't kill him. The only way that's possible is if it fell off him, the Electus was in the area but apparently she wasn't injured and both Commanders are fine," John summarised before closing the report.

"Well that was a successful move then," Marcus commented.

"He hasn't been discovered so he'll be able to try again later," John stated as he opened a channel to the alliance on the secret frequency they'd been given for this mission. It was only supposed to be used in emergencies but one quick transmission to send the report wouldn't hurt.

"Alliance control," a young woman said as she appeared on the screen.

"This is Agent Sheppard aboard the Venture. We're sending a report we received on UOT, make sure the council gets it," John instructed before sending the report.

"Report received, is there anything else?" the woman asked.

"Nothing else, Sheppard out," John ended the transmission and the screen went blank once again.

- - -

The cloud had finally popped up on sensors again and this time it had actually been in a helpful place. It was hours away from an Alliance planet and so they'd immediately set a course. Teyla stood on the bridge of Ronon's ship, leaning on one of the metal railings and watching as the ship dropped out of hyper space.

They were still a great distance from the planet since it was under alliance control and they didn't want to risk detection. Ronon gave final orders to his men before heading for the door. "Let's go," he said as he passed her and she had to almost run to catch up with him.

In the shuttle bay the team that was accompanying them to the planet had already been assembled and were strapping themselves into the shuttle. Ronon and Teyla joined them and the transport glided out of the ship and through space. It would probably tale them just over half an hour to reach the planet in the slower shuttle. They'd made good time getting here so hopefully they'd arrive before the cloud attacked and then disappeared.

She had to try something completely different this time, instead of just trying to stop the cloud or push it back she was going to try to actually control it. She was going to try and co-ordinate it's attack. If she could do that then it would be a big step in learning to control it on a much grander scale. Instead of just controlling it's movements on a planet when she was in close proximity, she would be able to learn to control it's movements between planets from a distance.

She was already getting close, she could feel the connection between her and the cloud as a constant presence in her mind. It was there all the time, leaving her with a minor headache but also with the feeling that she was making progress. She would overpower Elizabeth and take control of the cloud.

The were finally approaching the planet, she could see it through the front window, a blue-green ball that grew larger as they approached. She felt her nerves trying to get the better of her as they always did before she encountered the dark cloud. She pushed them aside and took a deep breath to calm herself, she couldn't afford to be distracted by nerves.

"Are there any alliance ships in the area?" Ronon asked and the officer at the helm checked the sensors.

"No sir, the only ship I'm detecting approaching the planet is a smugglers ship entering the planet's atmosphere," the officer replied several moments later.

"Alright, lets get down there before the cloud attacks," Ronon said then turned to Teyla, his voice lowering so only she could hear "You ready?"

"Yeah, I can do this," she said, it felt somehow like she was convincing herself more than him.

TBC


	28. Chapter 28

**Steph7085 – **Thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked the sparky in the last chapter and I hope you enjoy this one too.

**Jammeke – **I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I wanted Elizabeth and Teyla to end up being complete opposites of one another and I guess it worked. John really is just great isn't he? lol. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Belanna30 – **Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

- - -

Chapter 28

Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief when the cloud finally backed down. It wasn't really getting any easier to control the cloud, she knew it was fighting her every step of the way. In fact she was sure the only reason she'd been able to fight it off at the beginning was that it hadn't been prepared for her to suddenly show up. She knew for a fact that she shouldn't be able to beat it as easily as she was now, not that it was particularly easy.

The panicked citizens began to re-emerge from their hiding place. There was less surprise when people found themselves still alive, word was spreading that the Electus had been found, though she didn't think they knew yet that only one of them was fighting on their side.

She felt tired and drained as she always did and decided just to sit where she was and recover her strength. Carson and Marcus were trying to calm the citizens that were beginning to show themselves. John was discussing something with Laura and Rodney though she couldn't hear what.

The noise began to increase as more people arrived to try and find out what had happened. The headache she'd been nursing for a week now was worse after her battle with the cloud and the noise wasn't helping. The Venture was currently sitting in the Vreal space port, a good hour's walk away so she'd have to wait for her pain killers and comfy bed. She stood up and walked away from the gathering crowd, she didn't go far, just far enough that the crowd seemed quieter. She rounded a corner and began walking down the empty street, glad for the momentary peace.

"I knew I'd run into you sooner or later," an all too familiar voice stated from behind her and Elizabeth had to force herself to turn around and meet the owner. There she was, after all these months, she was right there.

"Teyla," Elizabeth breathed. The woman who she had once considered a sister now stood before her. She looked different, no longer the innocent young girl she had been on Corlain. She stood there now, her tight fitting black trousers and matching black top were the exact opposite of the light blues and greens she had always worn before. Her eyes held a look of anger and hatred Elizabeth was sure she had never seen on anyone before never mind Teyla.

"Surprised to see me?" Teyla questioned with a small smile "I suppose after leaving me to the Vernai you would be."

"Teyla, I didn't know…" Elizabeth began, hoping to explain herself and maybe convince Teyla that she was on the wrong side but she was cut off before she could get very far.

"I'm not interested in your excuses," Teyla informed her as Elizabeth looked around her. She was half expecting a Vernai task force to jump out at her at any moment. "They do not know where I am," Teyla told her much to Elizabeth's relief.

"Why are you doing this?" Elizabeth asked her, she needed to move this conversation along or it would likely end badly for one of them.

"Doing what, trying to control the cloud?" Teyla asked.

"Trying to use it to destroy humanity," Elizabeth corrected "This isn't you Teyla, somewhere inside I know you know this is wrong."

"You know nothing about me," Teyla stated angrily.

"Have you seen what this cloud does Teyla?" She asked trying desperately to reach her. "It burns people alive, from the inside as well as the outside, the lucky ones suffocate when their lungs are destroyed, the rest suffer a far slower death. If you can really do this to people then maybe you're right, I don't know you."

"Stay out of my way," was Teyla's only response. She tried to walk away and Elizabeth took several steps toward her to stop her. Teyla whirled around on her when Elizabeth reached out to touch her arm. Before Elizabeth could even register the move, she had the edge of a knife digging into her throat. "You and I were once family but no more, I don't want to kill you but if you continue to get in my way, I will," Teyla told her angrily.

"Elizabeth," she heard John's voice shout as he was obviously searching for her but she dared not respond. Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement that she knew had to be John. Teyla moved the knife from her throat and ran quickly between two nearby buildings. Elizabeth stood there frozen in place, unable to believe that Teyla, her only family, had just held a knife to her throat. She registered footsteps beside her and was vaguely aware of John running up to her.

"Are you alright?" he asked breathlessly, concern and worry filling his voice.

"No, I'm not," she stated as she took a deep breath to calm her panicking emotions. John put his hands on her arms and she looked at him, he was staring at the two buildings where Teyla had disappeared, probably making sure she wasn't coming back.

"We need to get out of here," he told her as he looked around him. He was no doubt half expecting the same Vernai ambush she had. If they weren't already waiting to grab her then it was possible, even likely, that Teyla would tell them where they were.

"Yeah," was all she was able to muster and she turned to head back to where she had left the others with John only a step behind her.

- - -

Teyla made her way through the crowd trying to locate Ronon. A man that size should not be this hard to find. She finally located the large frame and head of dreadlocks she associated with her commander and teacher and made her way toward them.

"Where'd you go?" he asked her as she approached.

"Just had to take care of something," she informed him and he looked at her almost suspiciously for a moment before he gestured to where they had landed the shuttle.

"The Alliance will be crawling all over the place soon, we need to get back, I already sent my men ahead," he told her and she nodded and turned to head in the direction he had gestured.

It didn't take them long to work their way through the crowd and they quickly found themselves back on the shuttle and heading into space. She placed her hand over the knife still sheathed near her thigh. She had done what she had to, she'd given Elizabeth her warning. If she chose not to heed it then the consequences would be her own fault.

Neither she or Ronon spoke throughout the journey back. She could hear the conversations the rest of the shuttles occupants were having. She heard the word Electus a few times so she knew at least some them were talking about her. It really irritated her when people called her the Electus, she had a name, she had a feeling though that some of them didn't even know her actual name.

As the shuttle finally glided into the docking bay of Ronon's ship, the crew disembarked leaving Teyla and Ronon the last ones to leave. She removed the straps from around her chest that had secured her in place and moved to leave the shuttle. Ronon's hand on her wrist stopped her and she turned around to face him.

"What did you do?" he asked, his tone demanding an answer.

"I saw Elizabeth walking away from the crowd so I followed her, I gave her a warning and left," she summarised and Ronon stared at her for a moment. His expression was unreadable and she wondered for a moment if he would be mad at her. She'd known when she'd done it that he wouldn't be happy but it was something she'd had to do. She'd needed to prove to herself that she could stand in front of Elizabeth and not feel anything other than anger, that if it came down to a choice she'd be able to make that choice.

Ronon let go of her wrist and allowed her to leave without saying anything. She knew that was as close to acceptance as she was going to get from him on the matter. She turned away from him and made her way off the shuttle. She didn't even look back at him as she left the docking bay, she owed him an explanation. In all probability she'd see him tonight and she could explain to him then why she'd had to do it.

- - -

The hum of the engine was the only sound interrupting her silence and her thoughts. Teyla had actually held a knife to her throat, if she hadn't seen it for herself, if she hadn't felt the edge of the knife pressed into her skin she wouldn't have believed it. She'd been telling John that she couldn't hurt Teyla but Teyla seemed perfectly happy to stick a blade in her throat, one slip and Elizabeth would have been dead.

The last thought made her shudder, she'd faced death several times over the last few months. She'd barely escaped from a ship before it exploded, nearly been killed in a shuttle crash, had weapons pointed at her, almost been shot on more than one occasion and faced a giant man eating cloud that could take over her mind, but never had she felt so close to death. Never had she felt like she was staring it straight in the face and never had she imagined that face would be her sister's.

She had to stop doing that, she had to stop thinking of Teyla as family. For starters they weren't even blood related and whatever bond they'd had before was gone now. She wasn't the same Teyla she had grown up with and the truth was she was no longer the same Elizabeth. They were different people leading different lives. Teyla was her enemy now and she was just going to have to accept that because no amount of wishing and hoping was going to change it. She could look back at the last few months and wish things were different all she wanted, it wouldn't change anything. It wouldn't change the fact that sooner or later one of them was going to have to make a choice.

She sat in the pilots chair on the bridge just staring out of the window, far too often she found herself sitting somewhere on her own, just staring out at hyperspace and contemplating what her life had become. She felt his presence in the room before she heard him and he moved to sit on the chair beside her.

"You okay?" he questioned and she almost smiled sadly.

"Don't you get sick of asking me that?" she questioned back and he smiled, a sad smile that told her he knew how often he asked her that and he knew each time it was a valid question. That was the sad part, there always seemed to be a reason for her not to be okay. "She held a knife to my throat," Elizabeth stated, her voice barely above a whisper "She threatened me, she told me if I didn't stay out of her way she'd kill me and she wasn't bluffing, she meant it."

"She's been living with the Vernai, training to become one of them, you knew she would have changed," he told her, his voice almost as quiet as hers.

"But to actually see it…" she trailed off and paused while she collected her thoughts. "I don't know what scared me more, the fact that it was Teyla or the fact that she could have killed me, that I could actually have died today. One small movement of her hand and I would have been gone, just like that."

John it seemed didn't like that thought any more than she did, his expression showed more than just his concern for her. It was rare she got to see such emotion on it.

"I know that I have to stop thinking of her as family because we're not anymore… it's just hard to let go. She was all I had, she's the only family I've ever known," Elizabeth explained, talking to herself as much as John.

"That's not true," he told her simply "You have us now, you're part of our family."

His expression was completely open for that moment, there was a look of such… affection in his eyes that it threatened to overwhelm her already chaotic emotions. There was something else in his expression, something she couldn't quite identify and something told her she didn't want to, that whatever it was led to a place neither of them could go.

"Thank you," she said quietly finally breaking the silence that seemed to have lasted an eternity. The words didn't seem adequate enough to express just how grateful she was to him "I don't think I would have made it through the last few months without you."

"I have a feeling you would have done just fine," he told her, that look still in his eyes and she shook her head.

"No, I don't think I would," she replied honestly.

"We should get some sleep," he stated after another moment of silence "It's been a long day and I don't think tomorrow will be any shorter."

He stood up and she followed after him as he left the bridge and headed toward the bedrooms. Her room was right next to his so he left her outside her room with a 'sleep well' and then walked over to his own.

TBC


	29. Chapter 29

**Steph7085** – Patience, Sparky is coming. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

- - -

Chapter 29

The planet had a population of just over 15 thousand people, relatively small compared to most Alliance planets but that was probably a good thing. Ronon glanced at Teyla who looked only slightly apprehensive at the task ahead of her. She was going to try to control the cloud and direct it's attack on the population. He figured her first time should be with a smaller population, a little less guilt afterward.

They made their way through the street with several of Ronon's officers behind them. They were all wearing civilian clothing instead of their usual Vernai uniforms so they wouldn't draw attention to themselves. The cloud it seemed had yet to attack, the people around them were going about their day completely oblivious to the danger they were in, to the horrible deaths they were about to experience.

Ronon felt a touch of guilt himself, he always did when he had to take out civilians but this was the life he'd chosen and he had learned to deal with the guilt that came with it. Teyla had killed people but it had been in the heat of the moment and they had generally done something to deserve it. She had never killed people on this kind of scale; even he had never killed on this scale before. Over 15 thousand people were about to lose their lives.

They had been wondering around through the crowd of the market place for almost two hours when the screaming and panicking began. Within minutes they could see the dark cloud as it towered above the group.

"It's here sir," one of his men stated.

"What was your first clue?" Ronon asked rhetorically as they made their way toward it. The crowd of people were moving against them making it hard for them to stay together and move in the right direction. Ronon had to grab hold of Teyla's arm to keep them together and stop her smaller frame being dragged away.

They finally stood face to face with the cloud again and Ronon had to admit, at least to himself that it always terrified him. His men may be immune to its effects but he certainly wasn't.

He watched as Teyla came to a stop beside him, she closed her eyes for a few moments before opening them and focusing completely on the cloud. His men finally caught up with them and they all stayed behind Teyla. Sometime he thought they were more afraid of the cloud than he was… and they were immune. He supposed they didn't want to risk it, only a few Vernai had ever come in contact with the cloud and though they had all survived he wasn't sure he'd want t put it to the test either.

The cloud suddenly stopped advancing as Teyla lifted her arms in front of her and for several tense moments it simply remained still. Then it moved around them, creating a circle around the small group of Vernai and heading deeper into the market. The wall of darkness that surrounded them on all sides was more than a little intimidating and the air that was being blown past them made it seem only more powerful. Ronon glanced at Teyla as she turned around to face the people she was wiping out with the cloud. Her eyes held a completely focused look yet at the same time they looked distant.

The cloud swept through the market place quickly and killed everyone there apart from him and his men. He could see Teyla tiring, he knew her control was only going to last a little longer. Unfortunately if they were still in the middle of the cloud when she lost it they'd be killed.

She was struggling to hold on, fighting for the control she needed and finally the cloud passed by them. It continued through the market with Teyla still in control and Ronon could see the toll it was taking on her. He stepped forward standing in front of her but her eyes seemed to look straight through him.

"Teyla," he said and he saw her focus slip for a second. "Let go," he instructed.

After a moment she let out a deep breath, completely exhausted and she lost the ability to hold herself up for a moment. As she lowered her hands she fell to the side slightly. Ronon caught her and allowed her a few moments to pull herself together enough to stand. Keeping one hand on her arm for support he decided it would be best if they left before the cloud turned around and came back for them. He knew Teyla would not have the strength to protect them when it did.

"We have to leave," Ronon stated and his men seemed eager enough to comply with his orders. They immediately headed to where they had left the shuttle careful not to find the cloud along the way. Ronon kept one eye on Teyla the entire time, she looked like she was ready to collapse at any second but he knew she'd refuse any help.

He wasn't too worried about watching for the cloud, his men were all alert enough besides it wasn't as though it was a small thing that could creep up on them, he was fairly sure he'd see it coming. They made it back to the shuttle without incident and Ronon made quick work of ordering the pilot to take off. He didn't feel completely safe until they were in orbit and out of the clouds reach.

- - -

"I'm only picking up twelve life signs," Laura stated as the Venture entered the atmosphere of Almanas.

"The cloud already attacked," Marcus stated solemnly as he concentrated on piloting the ship. Carson was standing behind Laura leaning on the back of her chair; he looked visibly upset that they had not arrived in time to save these people. John was leaning against the door frame next to Elizabeth who simply stared through the front window in silence.

Marcus landed the ship in the middle of the main city, just outside the market place. They all headed through to the cargo bay where John lowered the ramp onto the scene of devastation before them. No one had ever been on a planet this soon after an attack, it had always been hours maybe days later before word got to the Alliance and a ship could arrive.

The fires of the ruined buildings were still burning and the smell of death was only just creeping into the air, the attack had not been long ago.

"Stay sharp everyone," John ordered "The cloud could still be here."

They walked slowly among the burning buildings and bodies of the cloud's most recent victims. He tightened his hand on his side arm knowing full well that it would be useless against the dark cloud.

"We're too late," Elizabeth said quietly. He could hear in her voice that she was angry she hadn't gotten here in time to save these people. He would deal with that later, right now they needed to ensure they were safe and decide what they were going to do about the survivors. There was no way to know how long it would be before the Alliance arrived and in the meantime there were people here who needed help.

John knew he wouldn't be able to take these people with them, they would most probably have to wait for the Alliance to show up but at the same time they needed to get back to tracking the cloud.

"Elizabeth, do you sense anything?" John asked, if the cloud was anywhere nearby she'd know.

Elizabeth shook her head "No, just a lingering presence, the cloud itself is already gone."

"Alright, we have a decision to make," John began drawing everyone's attention. "We can try and help the survivors ourselves or we can let the Alliance do it when they arrive."

"We can't leave these people," Carson stated "It could be days before the Alliance arrive, some of the survivors may not last that long."

"I agree with Carson, if we can help these people we should," Marcus added and Laura nodded her head to show she too was in agreement.

John wordlessly turned to head back to the Venture, going straight through to the sensors console on the bridge. "Okay," he said when the others followed him. "There are five life signs here in the main city and seven elsewhere. This planet isn't far from Atlantis so I doubt it will take long for the alliance to arrive. Until then we'll help as many people as we can. You four take the Venture and rescue the people outside the main city, Elizabeth and I will help the people here."

Everyone voiced their agreement with the plan and John and Elizabeth quickly packed two bags of supplies and left the ship. They watched it take off and disappear from view before John turned to Elizabeth. She was still beating herself up and he knew he needed to deal with it but for now they just had to concentrate on the survivors. He lifted the small hand scanner he had grabbed from the ship and located the first life sign.

"Let's go," he instructed and Elizabeth silently followed him to the small house on the very edge of the market. "Hello," he shouted as he looked through the broken door of the partially collapsed home. When he got no answer he pulled the door out of his way and stepped into the building.

There was dust in the air and it made it harder to breathe as well as harder to see. Part of the ceiling had come down and John had to step over the vast amounts of rubble and debris on the floor. Elizabeth nearly fell behind him and he reached a hand out to steady her. She gave him a small, sad smile of thanks and he turned his attention back to the dusty darkness. He saw movement in the corner of his eye and turned to find the source.

"Hello," he tried again and a young boy walked out of the shadows. He couldn't have been more than ten years old and he was covered in dirt and dust. He looked terrified and John couldn't blame him, looking around he realised that this boys family were probably dead. "It's alright, we're here to help," John said taking a step forward toward the boy and reaching his hand out. A large chunk of the ceiling was blocking his way so he had to wait for the boy to finally make the few steps closer to him.

John reached out picking the boy up and pulling him over the fallen ceiling. He carried him out of the ruined house and put him down outside. "What's your name?" John asked quietly as he and Elizabeth knelt down in front of him.

"Tobias," the boy answered after a moment as Elizabeth handed him a bottle of water from her bag. John began to inspect the cuts and bruises he'd sustained but none of them seemed serious.

"Well Tobias, I'm John and this is Elizabeth," John introduced as he determined that the boy was physically fine.

- - -

"Rodney would you just shut up and help me with this," Laura said in exasperation. The scientist finally stopped complaining about dust or whatever it was he was moaning about and moved to help her clear the pile of rubble that was blocking their way. "Kathy, you still with me?" Laura shouted and the disembodied voice of the young woman came from the other side of the rubble.

"I'm here," she called and Laura sighed in relief, it had been a while since she'd heard the woman say anything.

"How you doing?" she asked as she threw another big chunk that had probably been a wall out of her way.

"I can't feel anything in my leg anymore," she shouted and Laura exchanged a glace with Rodney. The scientist for once had nothing to say, he simply nodded in understanding and proceeded to work faster. They didn't have far left to go now and if they didn't hurry Laura feared the woman would have to lose her leg.

They'd arrived in the small village over an hour ago and split into pairs. She and Rodney had come here whilst Marcus and Carson went toward another life sign. Once she'd realised the urgency of the situation she had radioed them for help but they were currently trying to dig a man out of a collapsed building. Apparently using wood in any part of a structure just wasn't a good idea since it seemed the cloud liked wood almost as much as humans.

They finally moved enough of the rubble that they could get passed into the room behind it. Laura climbed over it and slid down to the floor on the other side where the woman was indeed pinned to the floor by the support beam that had fallen on her leg. It also looked like Laura's fears had also been correct and the beam was partially cutting off her blood circulation.

She heard the tell tale signs of Rodney sliding through the gap in the debris and she immediately moved to the woman's side. "Alright, let's get this thing off you," she said and the first attempt proved to her she wasn't going to be able to do it alone. She'd expected to have to ask Rodney for help, something she was going to hate but instead Rodney crouched down by her side to help her lift the beam. A considerable amount of effort from the two of them had the beam lifted and tossed to the floor with a heavy thud that made them both wince.

Laura quickly inspected the damage to the woman's leg, it looked severe but hopefully she wouldn't have to lose it. She helped the woman to stand and move over to the exit. Rodney quickly slid through and helped Laura to get Kathy through before she followed.

"Laura this is Marcus, do you still need help?" Lorne's voice questioned over the radio. Laura grabbed the small device from her belt and answered whilst still trying to help the woman walk.

"No, we're making our way toward the Venture, meet us there," she instructed.

- - -

Marcus did what he could to help Carson treat the man's many injuries but there was only so much he could do. Carson was just finishing up so Marcus headed out of the ship in time to see Laura and Rodney approaching. They were practically carrying a young woman between them and he quickly ran over to help. He took the woman from both of them, carrying her back to the venture himself since both Laura and Rodney looked exhausted.

Carson looked up as they entered the infirmary and gestured to one of the beds. "Put her down here," he told him and Marcus did as instructed before stepping back to allow Carson to do his job.

The doctor fussed over his new patient as his other one regained consciousness. Marcus made his way over to him "Where am I, what's going on?" the man asked in a panic when he didn't recognise his surroundings.

"Relax sir," Marcus instructed "I'm Agent Lorne of the Alliance; we're just here to help."

"The cloud… it attacked… there was no warning… people just started screaming… I thought I was dead," the man stuttered, his terror from the attack still not completely gone as he laid on the infirmary bed hours after the attack.

"You're safe now," Marcus reassured him and the man seemed to relax for a moment before fear gripped him once again.

"My wife?" he asked and Marcus resisted the urge to close his eyes against the emotions that came unbidden with the image. "My wife, she's blonde, she has blue eyes, she's about 5, 5, have you seen her?"

Yeah, they'd seen her, the memory of the burnt body inside the house still fresh in his mind. She'd been eaten away by the cloud, burnt almost beyond recognition but part of her blonde hair had survived as well as the blue eyes that had stared up at him in terror. "I'm sorry, she didn't make it," was all he could say and he almost couldn't watch as the man broke down in front of him.

"Lorne, this is Sheppard, come in," John's voice came over the radio and Marcus was glad of the distraction.

"Lorne," he answered as he moved away from the man to allow him to grieve in private.

"How's it going?" he asked.

"We've rescued two of the victims, one of them has some pretty serious injuries but he'll be fine and the other has a leg injury but from the looks of it she'll be fine too," Marcus reported with a quick glance at the two patients.

"We've got three of the survivors from the main city and I just got word from the Independence, they dropped into orbit a few minutes ago and their sending rescue teams to pick up the rest of the survivors so head back here," John ordered and Marcus was more than happy to comply, he'd seen more than enough devastation for one day.

TBC


	30. Chapter 30

**Steph7085 – **My aim is to surprise you lol. Teyla really has changed and I wanted to show that in the last chapter, glad it worked. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Talz89 – **Thanks for the review, it's always nice to get a little feedback on my work. I'm glad you're enjoying the story and I hope you enjoy this chapter too.

- - -

Chapter 30

John worked his way through the rather large group of various Alliance workers. The Independence had arrived and rescued the remaining survivors on the planet whilst the science team, currently being led by Zelenka, was doing their usual aftermath work up. Marcus, Laura and Carson had returned to the Venture to make preparations for take off, now that the Independence was here there was no reason for John and Co to stay.

"Captain Almos, we're ready to leave," John stated and the Independence's captain nodded his head.

"We've transferred some of our supplies onto your ship, should last you a little while," Almos informed him as he turned to where the science team were setting up their equipment. "Now all you have to do is get Dr McKay to stop ordering the science team around and leave."

John looked in the direction Almos had gestured and sure enough Rodney was busying himself looking over the team's shoulders. Zelenka was currently using a litany of curse words and clearly trying not to harm Rodney. "A mission harder than the one I already have," John commented "Thank you for the supplies," John said as he turned to the Captain and shook his hand.

"Good luck Agent Sheppard," Almos finished and John headed over to where he'd last seen Elizabeth.

"McKay," he shouted as he passed by the commotion the scientist was causing as he tried to do someone's job for them. The young woman seemed more frustrated than angry. "We're leaving; get your ass back to the ship."

He vaguely heard Rodney shout something back but he was already focused on his next target. Elizabeth was helping to move the survivors into the shuttle that would transport them up to the Independence. Some of them had serious injuries caused by the various buildings that had collapsed on top of them. Ironically it was probably the very fact that they were buried under buildings that had saved them from the cloud.

"Elizabeth," he called as he approached the shuttle and came to a stop next to the open ramp she was currently guiding an elderly man through. "It's time to go."

The young boy they had rescued earlier walked up to them looking far better than he had when they'd first pulled him out of the house. "Why didn't the cloud hurt the people that were here before?" he asked them innocently as though the question had been bugging him.

"What people?" John asked.

"The people, they were here and the cloud went around them. I saw them before I ran home, it didn't hurt them but it killed my mum and dad, why?" he asked.

"Because they're different from us and the cloud can't hurt them," John informed him and the boy looked puzzled by this but had no time to ask any more questions before he was ushered into the shuttle by one of the Alliance Officers. The ramp at the back of the shuttle closed and John and Elizabeth stepped back as it took off and disappeared into the sky.

"What's going to happen to him?" Elizabeth asked as she stared after the shuttle.

"The same thing that happens to all the kids who are orphaned by the cloud," John told her sadly "They'll go into a special Alliance care facility until either relatives or a home can be found for them. Don't worry, they already have families prepared to accept these kids, I doubt he'll be in the care home for more than a couple of days while they decide which family is best for him."

"The people that were here before?" she repeated the kids words "Teyla and the Vernai."

"I know, you think the cloud really went around them?" he questioned though some deep inner voice that he would really like to ignore told him he already knew the answer.

"Yeah, Teyla did it, she controlled the cloud and used it to kill these people, to kill that boys parents and I should have stopped her," Elizabeth stated and he could hear the anger and guilt in her voice. He would have said something there and then to quash that line of thinking but she'd already turned away from him and was on her way back to the ship.

He would wait until they were underway again; they'd lost several hours when they'd chosen to stay here. Once they were making their way through hyperspace once again he'd have to have a long chat with her. He knew she was feeling a whole lot of guilt that she hadn't got here in time to save these people and he'd have to deal with it.

- - -

She'd done it, she'd actually done it. She'd controlled the cloud and used it to do her bidding. Not only that but she'd used it to kill, all those people would have died anyway she rationalised but it didn't take away the small amount of guilt that was eating away at her. The worst part was, she knew she should be feeling more guilt about the situation. Right now though, she was too tired to care.

Teyla pulled the covers on her bed back and sank herself into the mattress, revelling in the comfort of it. It didn't last though as the door chime sounded and she was forced to get up and answer it. The doors swished open to reveal Ronon and she was too tired to even muster up a glare at him for making her get up out of the comfort of her bed. She wordlessly walked back to her bed and Ronon took it as the invitation it was to enter her room.

She climbed back into her bed and pulled the covers over her as she laid on her side. She could feel Ronon watching her with a slightly amused gaze as she did so and again… she was too tired to care. Controlling the cloud had seriously taken it out of her. She had felt it fighting her the entire time and she'd held out for as long as she could until finally her control slipped away. She was not the only one getting stronger, every time she encountered the cloud it learned from the experience just as she did.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her and Teyla resisted the urge to smile.

"Tired," she replied obviously as she kept her eyes closed. That wasn't all she was feeling, the coldness that her encounters with the cloud always gave her was not going away this time. It was lingering in every part of her body and she had to fight not to shiver.

"I gathered that much," he told her and there was a silent question in his answer that Teyla sighed and finally answered.

"I don't feel as guilty as I know I should," she informed him "And I'm freezing, the cold won't go away this time. I think the shower nearly burned my skin off and it still didn't help."

Without a word and much to Teyla's surprise and probably Ronon's too. He climbed into the bed beside her and again much to their surprise Teyla moved closer to him, seeking his warmth and somehow it actually helped. "The Admiral was very pleased," Ronon stated as his arms moved around her.

"I'm sure he was," Teyla replied bitterly, she was also sure the Admiral would quite happily have her killed or better yet given to Kolya if she failed. They didn't say anything else; there was nothing else to say. Teyla closed here eyes and allowed sleep to overtake her.

- - -

Too often she found herself in need of this sanctuary, the one place on the ship that only she and occasionally John ventured. The end of the corridor was as quite and secluded as always. Only the light from hyperspace illuminated the small area and Elizabeth could feel the illusion of calm. She knew John would come searching for her before long and this would be one of the first places he'd look.

"Elizabeth," John's voice called quietly and she smiled to herself at his impeccable sense of timing. He walked into the area and after a moment sat down, though instead of sitting next to her as he usually would he sat in front of her. "You okay?" he questioned and she resisted the urge to once again point out how often he had to ask her that.

"I'm fine," she replied, normally she would have just told him what was on her mind but she couldn't seem to voice it this time.

"It wasn't your fault," John stated as if he'd read her mind.

"Yes it was, we should have got their faster, if I'm truly connected to the cloud then I should be able to tell you where it is, where it's going next but I can't," she responded and John looked at her for a moment, trying to judge whether that was the whole truth or just part of it.

"Nobody's perfect, you can't expect to discover you have this power and then three months later be an expert at using it, you're only human," he rationalised but she was not really in a rational place right now.

"No I'm not, I'm the Electus," she told him angrily.

"That doesn't make you any less human," he replied and then sighed, he didn't want to fight with her, that wasn't why he'd come down here looking for her.

"She killed them," Elizabeth said quietly, her voice was barely above a whisper and had John not been sitting as close as he was in this small space, he wouldn't have heard it. "She used her power to kill those people, she's learned how to control it and now she's killing with it."

"Is that what this is about?" John asked softly "That she's learned that level of control and you haven't?"

"No, this is about the fact that what happened to those people is my fault, I killed them," she stated and John looked at her in confusion.

"What're you talking about, Elizabeth, Teyla killed those people, not you," John said.

"And I should have killed her!" Elizabeth snapped and John realised they were finally getting to the root of the issue.

"She was standing right in front of me, I had a gun at my side and she was right there. I couldn't do it, I tried to talk her around and those people paid the price of my failure. Teyla may have killed them and, whilst I wasn't their executioner, I'm just as responsible for their deaths as she is," Elizabeth shouted and for a brief second John hoped none of the others were nearby to hear this.

"Elizabeth, none of this is your fault," John began and Elizabeth shook her head and looked away. She was blocking him out and he was determined to make her listen to him. He leaned forward and placed his hands on either side of her face, forcing her to turn back to him and meet his gaze. "I don't care what your guilt fogged mind is telling you, what happened to those people was horrible but it had nothing to do with you. Nothing that has happened is your fault, nothing."

He could see the moment her senses returned to her, he could see understanding creeping back into her eyes. For a moment neither of them did anything until Elizabeth moved forward and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He automatically moved his own around her back and she buried her face in his neck. They stayed that way for what felt like eternity and Elizabeth, finally composed, moved back slightly and John rested his forehead against hers.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"It's what I'm here for," he replied with his usual smile and Elizabeth removed her arms from around his neck, she had probably embarrassed herself enough for one day. John stood up and held his hand out to her. "I don't know about you but I could do with some lunch."

"Lunch sounds good," Elizabeth replied as she accepted his hand and allowed him to help her to her feet.

"Great, from the smell I'd say Carson is cooking," John stated.

"What makes you say that?" Elizabeth questioned as they made their way past the doors of the bedrooms toward the kitchen.

"Because Rodney wouldn't and couldn't cook if his life depended on it and Laura and Marcus would have burnt whatever they were making and probably set the ship on fire therefore, by process of elimination, Carson is cooking," John informed her and Elizabeth had to admit there was logic in his thinking. They walked through the archway into the kitchen to find Carson just finishing off dinner while the others sat around the table talking. John smiled at Elizabeth as his theory was confirmed and they moved to join the others at the table.

"It sometimes causes geological disturbances," Rodney was explaining to Marcus and Laura. "When the cloud attacks in such a massive way it causes minor earthquakes which is the main reason for the damage to structures."

"There was nothing minor about the damage to those buildings," Laura stated incredulously.

"That's because the cloud also eats away at certain parts of buildings, like the wood, that couples with the small amount of seismic activity damages the buildings," Rodney replied in annoyance.

"Dinner," Carson called abruptly ending the conversation as everyone got up and went to grab their meals with several 'thanks Carson' being shouted along the way.

TBC


	31. Chapter 31

**Authors Note: I'm finally back online and so very sorry for the wait for all my fics. Thanks to those of you who have stuck with me!**

**Steph7085 – **I'm glad you liked the Sparky hug scene; it's great to finally be writing more Sparky. Thanks for you review, I'm glad you're enjoying the story and the relationships.

**Jammeke –**Thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked the Sparky scene and there's a little more hope for Teyla in this chapter, hope you enjoy it.

**Wormhole – **Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

- - -

Chapter 31

Teyla had been stupid to believe she could kill all those people and not feel masses of guilt for it afterwards. It seemed she had just been too tired to really feel the impact of her actions. The next morning she'd woken up and the guilt had set in and that had been a week ago. The faces of those she had seen and then killed were still haunting her now and she didn't think that was ever going to change, every time she used her powers to kill people their faces would be added to the list.

The thought made her nervous as they approached Lanvar, the blue green orb below them was – according to the officer at sensors – still bustling with life.

"Sir, I'm detecting a smugglers ship entering the planet's atmosphere, it's the same one we detected in orbit of Vreal," the officer informed Ronon who glanced at Teyla with a look of understanding creeping into his features.

"Teyla, let's go," Ronon ordered as he walked toward the exit. The two of them made their way through the corridor in silence until they were almost at the shuttle bay. "They're on the smugglers ship," Ronon finally said.

"It explains why they always show up before the rest of the Alliance," Teyla replied fully agreeing with his conclusion. It meant that Elizabeth was already on the planet and would most likely beat her to the cloud. It worried Teyla slightly that the thought didn't bother her as much as it had before. The guilt she was already feeling wouldn't be made any worse by killing more people if Elizabeth beat her to the cloud and sent it away.

She mentally chastised herself, she couldn't be this weak. She had a job to do, a duty to the Vernai and she wouldn't allow anything to get in her way, not guilt and not Elizabeth. She would do her job and she would kill anyone who got in her way and that included Elizabeth. This was the choice she'd made and she couldn't look back now.

She'd warned Elizabeth, she'd told her that if she got in the way again she'd kill her. If Elizabeth was indeed aboard that ship then she'd obviously ignored her warnings so her fate would be her own fault.

To be honest Teyla wasn't sure if she'd expected Elizabeth to heed her warning. The Elizabeth she'd known on Corlain had been just as innocent and naïve as Teyla had been. That Elizabeth would have listened to the warning and backed off was she still that same person or had Elizabeth, like Teyla, changed.

The mission team were dressed in their casual attire and awaiting their arrival. Ronon gave the order and they all quickly took up their places inside the shuttle and within minutes they were heading to the surface.

- - -

She was so used to the painful cold by now that she barely even felt it. Even when she wasn't facing down the cloud, when she was light years away the cold and the pain were still there in the back of her mind. As the dark mass loomed in front of her now she felt much less fear than when she had first fought it. She was still terrified of it but somehow the fear had become easier to deal with. It moved toward them with more speed than it usually did, it had been starved of its human victims for almost two months, had the attack a week ago, its first successful attack in weeks, spurred it on.

The only thing Elizabeth was sure of at that moment was that if she didn't do something fast they were all dead. She unconsciously raised her hands and reached into its mind with a speed and strength that surprised even her. She forced it to a stop but the cloud recovered quickly and began to fight back. Occasionally it would edge forward slightly but Elizabeth would force it back once more.

It was harder now that it had been even in the beginning. The cloud was learning how to fight her and becoming stronger, she wasn't sure she would be able to win this time. She could already feel her own body's strength deserting her, she could feel her hold on control slipping and she knew that if she lost, it would not only be control of the cloud she would lose.

She had to dig so deep inside herself for the energy needed that when this was over she knew she'd sleep for days. She threw everything she had at the cloud, forced her will through the connection between them and the cloud finally shrunk back and disappeared. She was fairly sure that next time she would lose.

As the cloud disappeared she felt the toll the battle had taken on her body suddenly hit her. Her legs buckled under her and she felt herself falling, she landed on her knees with a thud and decided to just stay there for a minute. John was at her side in a second and Carson was right behind him. She allowed the doctor to do his usual fussing to determine she was as always alright.

"I just need a second," she said quietly and Carson reluctantly left her side to help Laura and the others calm the panicked crowd that were emerging. After a few moments John helped her to stand up and she found she had more strength left than she realised. John went to help Marcus with a particularly angry and panicked local whilst Elizabeth took some time to recover more of her strength.

She took a few steps away from the crowd and the noise to allow her already aching head a slight reprieve. She looked down the street in the direction the cloud had come, she could vaguely make out the form of a body a short distance away and she felt her guilt hit her once again. She pushed it away though, she had saved most of the planet, she wasn't a super hero and even they couldn't save everyone.

"Elizabeth!" she heard John's panicked voice shout and looked up to see him running toward her. She turned around too late to see Teyla standing between two nearby buildings with her weapon aimed at her.

She felt John grab her and pull her down to the floor with him, the gun shot echoed through the air and Elizabeth felt the sharp pain in her arm just before they hit the ground. Marcus and Laura chased after Teyla as John immediately relieved Elizabeth of his weight and sat up. Carson and Rodney came running over and Carson quickly got to work on the bullet wound in her arm.

Elizabeth barely registered any of it; her mind seemed to be stuck on replay. Teyla had shot her, she'd actually tried to kill her and if John hadn't intervened she would have succeeded.

"She got away," Marcus said breathlessly as he and Laura returned to the group a few minutes later.

"I've done what I can here," Carson said "The wounds not serious, just a graze."

"Let's get back to the ship," John instructed as he once again helped Elizabeth to her feet. He kept one hand on her back the entire way there and Elizabeth was glad of the small amount of contact.

- - -

She had actually taken a shot at her, granted she'd missed but that wasn't anything to do with her. She hadn't been sure she could do it but she had. If that Agent hadn't gotten in the way Elizabeth would be dead now and Teyla felt nothing. She didn't feel sadness or regret but she didn't feel the relief she had expected to feel either. It didn't matter, she'd taken the shot.

She found Ronon near the shuttle and as soon as he looked at her she knew he suspected she'd done something but he didn't say anything. They simply waited for the last few officers to arrive and strapped themselves into the shuttle for the return journey. It wasn't until they were safely back on Ronon's ship and in his office that he said anything to her.

"Alright, what did you do this time?" he asked and Teyla wasn't entirely sure whether she should be slightly insulted by the silent accusation in that statement, she was hardly always causing trouble.

"I shot Elizabeth," she told him simply and he looked slightly shocked for a moment before he spoke again.

"You shot her?" he questioned.

"Yeah, I missed though, got her arm instead, that damn Agent that's always hanging around her got in the way," she informed him and Ronon sighed and sat in his chair.

"Well I'm sure the Admiral will be happy to hear you took a shot at her," he said though it didn't sound like Ronon was particularly happy about it. She would have thought he'd be glad that she'd done it. "You're a member of this crew now Teyla," Ronon said, his tone lighter now "I do believe it's time you started doing your paper work, report on my desk tomorrow morning," he instructed and Teyla looked slightly dejected, she really did not want to have to do paper work.

"I'll see you later then," she said as she stood up and left his office. Ronon watched her go and waited until the door was shut before he allowed himself to sigh once again. This was what he'd wanted, he told himself, to make her into one of the Vernai. He trained her, he taught her to kill and that's what she was doing, so why couldn't he bring himself to be happy about it.

He knew why, she was becoming more like him. Emotionally closed off and full of hate and anger. That wasn't what he wanted, she was losing who she was and he hadn't meant to take that from her.

- - -

He knocked one more time before he opened the door and walked into her room anyway. He walked in slowly to make sure he wasn't going to see anything he shouldn't and then stepped fully into the room and closed the door. As usual whenever something happened that cut right through her, Elizabeth had locked herself in her room and refused to answer her door. She was sitting on the chair in the corner of the room in the dark and he walked over to her.

"Don't even ask the question," she ordered when he took a breath to say something.

"Then tell me what's wrong?" he replied after a moment and she looked up from the spot on the floor she'd been staring at.

"What's wrong?" she questioned incredulously. "She shot me, Teyla actually shot me."

"You knew she wasn't bluffing when she warned you she would," John pointed out. Elizabeth stood up and walked across the room in the dark, he could just make out the blue of the pyjamas she was wearing.

"I keep telling myself that I have to stop thinking of her as family, that if I get the chance, I have to kill her because if I don't she'll keep using her power to kill people, but I don't know if I'd be able to do what I have to," she explained quietly, the raw emotion in her voice was almost enough to make John's overwhelm him.

"You grew up with her, she and Tenal were the only family you knew," he replied just as quietly as he crossed the room to stand in front of her.

"The woman I know died on Corlain," she stated her hold on her emotions slipping and a tear escaping from the dam he could see her building. He reached out and brushed it away with his thumb before it could get very far. He left his hand on the side of her face and realised just how little space was between them.

He was about to move away when Elizabeth reached her hand up to cover his and the resolve he'd managed to muster up shattered. He leaned forward closing the remaining distance between them and covering her lips with his own. It was a gentle kiss, hesitant at first, as if seeking permission but it quickly grew into something else. The feelings he'd denied he even had came to the surface and he was surprised by just how much he felt for her.

The kiss became more heated and passionate as he moved them toward the bed. He used the hand on the small of her back to gently lower her down without breaking their kiss.

He knew she was tired; she'd practically collapsed after her battle with the cloud a few hours ago. She was definitely not up for this no matter what her roaming hands suggested and as hard as it was he would have to be the voice of reason here.

He reluctantly broke the kiss and moved to lay behind her on the bed. She seemed to understand his reasons for not going any further and settled down next to him. He put his arm around her waist pulling her closer to him so her back was flush against his front. His other arm was underneath her neck laid out straight across the bed and she wrapped her fingers around it.

"Sleep," he whispered against her ear and with minutes she had done as instructed. He laid their in silence listening to the sound of her breathing as she slept. He realised then just how small she really was, tucked against his body she seemed so tiny and fragile. If he hadn't seen the strength she had inside her himself then in that moment he would never have believed it was there.

He'd known almost from the beginning that he could get too close to her. The council would not be pleased if they found out that he was currently lying in bed with their precious Electus. They seemed to view her as a weapon and believe they had the right to control her, to decide what her life would be. Right now he couldn't care less what the council thought, Elizabeth wasn't some weapon they could use, she was a person. When he'd seen Teyla aiming at her his heart had almost stopped just like when he'd seen her with a knife to her throat. She'd worked her way into his heart and made herself at home without even trying to.

He sighed, he was tired and at that moment with Elizabeth asleep next to him he could think of nothing better to do than to follow her example. He closed his eyes and banished all thought from his mind, he could over analyse everything later.

TBC


	32. Chapter 32

**Steph7085 – **You, almost speechless? Well that's an achievement right there, I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter, hope you enjoy this one too.

**AthosionWarrior – **I'm glad you like Teyla's dark side; it's been difficult to write without losing her character along the way. Thanks for the review!

**Jammeke – **There's some hope for Ronon and Teyla yet, neither of them are completely heartless. I'm glad you liked the scene with John and Elizabeth and as for friction between them; you'll just have to wait and see lol. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Wormhole – **Thanks for the review and here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy it.

- - -

Chapter 32

Elizabeth woke up slowly and moved closer to the warm body that was laid next to hers. The memories of last night were the first coherent things to enter her mind and she momentarily froze. Then she realised that John was in fact awake and watching her and she felt a small blush creep up her neck.

She moved back again opening her eyes so that she could see him, the look on his face was the same one she'd seen on his face only a few times. She wasn't quite as afraid of identifying the emotion hidden beneath the affection anymore. She wasn't about to voice it but she could at least admit to herself that it was there and perhaps returned.

"Hey," he said quietly when it became obvious she wasn't going to speak first.

"Hey," she replied just as quietly. She had no idea what else to say, there were so many reasons why she shouldn't be there right now. Well actually it was her bed, she was supposed to be there but he wasn't. "What time is it?" she asked, it sounded stupid but it was all she could come up with.

"Way later than we should be getting outta bed," he commented and the smell of breakfast in the air told her he was right. Someone, probably Carson, was cooking breakfast and from the smell of it they'd almost finished already.

"The council won't like this will they?" she asked after a moment, voicing her doubts which were already eating away at her.

"Probably not," he replied honestly "But it's not really any of their concern."

"They're the head of the Alliance, our bosses," she pointed out.

"There are no rules against relationships between partners," John informed her.

"But I'm not just your partner, I'm the Electus," she informed him and for a moment she wondered if she was trying to come up with an excuse not to go any further into this relationship.

"I never read the rule book all that thoroughly but I'm fairly sure there was nothing in their about not dating the Electus," he quipped and Elizabeth smiled slightly at his attempt to lighten the conversation.

"There may not be rules against it but I'm fairly sure they wouldn't be too understanding. They could assign me as someone else's partner if they wanted to," she told him.

"They won't assign you to a new partner, they don't want to waste time having you adjust to someone new, they can frown all they want, they won't do anything," he explained and she sighed as she moved her head on the pillow to get herself comfortable. "Or maybe we just won't tell them," he added when he saw she still wasn't satisfied.

A knock at the door cut off any further conversation "Elizabeth, time to get up, Carson has breakfast on the table," Laura's voice informed them "And John, you might wanna come too," she added and Elizabeth's eyes widened in surprise. John got over his shock far more quickly and just shook his head.

"Well I was about to ask if we should tell them," he stated after a moment "But I think the question is now void."

Elizabeth smiled again, this time a far more genuine smile than her last. She sat up and quickly located the clothes she wanted to change into. She was about to head into the bathroom to change when she turned around and walked back over to the bed. John was currently getting out of bed at a far more leisurely pace and she leaned down and kissed him. It was a quick kiss despite his attempt to turn it into something more.

"We keep it quiet for now?" she asked.

"For now, the others won't say anything," he told her and she smiled, gave him another quick kiss and headed into the bathroom. Once the door was closed behind her she listened to John shuffling around in the bedroom for a few minutes before he left. She knew she wanted this, probably more than she'd ever wanted anything so why was she making it so hard? Why was something telling her she couldn't have this?

Why was something telling her to get out of it?

- - -

Ronon walked through the corridors of his command ship, his crew it seemed were well aware that their commander was in a foul mood. They made a point to get out of his way, more than usual and he could hear people whispering as he past. He really couldn't have cared less at that moment in time.

He made it to his intended location and pressed the button for the door chime. A moment later Teyla opened the doors and she too seemed to sense he was not in the best of moods. She immediately stepped aside to allow him into her room and he took the invitation wordlessly. He knew what he had to say wouldn't put her in any better a mood than it had put him in. He turned to look at her as the door slid closed behind her.

"Kolya's coming," he stated after a moment.

Teyla didn't say anything but her expression told him more than enough. Despite how far she'd come and despite the backbone that she'd developed, he knew that some part of her would always be afraid of Kolya. He had killed the man who had been her father and he'd been the demon that had followed her when she had first come here, when she had still been the frightened naïve girl he'd taken from Corlain.

"The Admiral ordered him to join forces with me in pursuit of the cloud. He thinks that two Commanders are better than none. He's also ordered that we both join with the rest of our fleets, they're all being called to the rendezvous point as we speak," he explained and still she didn't say anything. "Kolya's vessel will be arriving in a few days, it'll take the rest of the fleet some time to arrive, they're all scattered all over the galaxy."

"And I thought things were going so well," she stated sarcastically but there was an element of exhaustion to her voice, it seemed that whenever things settled down for her something would come along and unsettle them again.

"The Admiral has been pleased with the progress you've made, he has no reason to hand you over to Kolya," Ronon tried to reassure her.

"Unless we give him one," she finished and Ronon sighed, the… relationship between the two of them would complicate matters. Kolya was already looking for some reason, any reason why he should be handed custody of Teyla and they were giving him one.

"We'll just have to end it until after he's gone," Ronon stated, the words were surprisingly hard to say.

"How long will that be?" she questioned, somehow seeming more saddened than she had been when he told her about Kolya. He forced himself to ignore it.

"I don't know, could be days, weeks, months, however long it takes to get you in full control of the cloud," he said carefully, he didn't want to make it seem as if this was all on her. Silence fell over the room for several minutes until Teyla moved to pick up her gym bag from the corner of the room.

"I need to hit something, I'm going to the gym," she informed him as she headed for the door. "You coming?" she questioned.

He should really be getting back to the bridge; he was still on duty for another hour. "Yeah," he said instead and followed her out of the room.

- - -

"The Council will kill you, you know," Marcus commented as he and John sat on the bridge. He didn't know how the entire crew knew where he'd been last night and frankly he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"Not if they don't know," John replied without looking up from the sensor readouts.

"They're the council, when was the last time you saw them look surprised?" Marcus stated and John looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Never, but I know they were pretty surprised to find out Elizabeth had no idea who she was," John answered "And when they learned Teyla was with the Vernai."

"That's two times in all the years that we've been working for them and neither of those things happened right under their noses," Marcus exclaimed and John sighed. He was already unsure about the whole thing himself, he didn't need to listen to Marcus's doubts as well.

"If they find out then they find out, they can't do anything," John stated.

"They're the council, they can do whatever they want," Marcus reminded him.

"I give up, there's no pattern here," he said referring to the sensor readings of all the cloud attacks in the past few months.

"I told you that earlier, Rodney's right, there's no way to track the cloud other than flying blind until it shows up on sensors," Marcus told him. "How's she doing anyway? The last four months haven't exactly been easy on her."

"She's coping, better than most people would in her position," John answered as he gave up on the sensors and leaned back in his chair. "I think she just wants this to be over but without Teyla on our side it will never be over. She'll have to keep fighting Teyla for control of the cloud and protect alliance planets from it."

"It's weird looking back, in some ways it feel likes she's always been here. I can't believe it's only been four months and in other ways, it seems to have flown by," Marcus stated and John nodded his head in agreement. Elizabeth just seemed to naturally fit in with the group. "Anyway, back to the actual conversation, the council are going to kill you, you know."

John groaned as the conversation turned back to the topic he'd rather avoid. He stood up and walked off the bridge only for Marcus to follow after him.

- - -

The docking hatch door opened to reveal the face Teyla least wanted to see. She hated the man more than she hated Elizabeth and that was quite an achievement. Kolya stepped through the doorway with his usual smug expression and extended his hand to Ronon.

"Commander Dex, how nice to see you again," Kolya greeted.

"Wish I could say the same," Ronon replied as he ignored the offered hand. Kolya seemed slightly taken aback but recovered quickly enough and turned to Teyla.

"I hear your training has come along very well, I look forward to seeing your newly acquired skills," he told her and Teyla gave him an obviously fake smile.

"I'd be more than happy to show you my skills, what would you like to see, my hand to hand or weapons?" she asked him and it seemed he understood the hidden message in the statement. She saw Ronon smile slightly at the side of her as Kolya chose not to take the bait. He walked past her and Ronon quickly did the same. Teyla let out a breath, as cocky as she sounded, Kolya still terrified her. She grudgingly followed after the two commanders ignoring the stares of Kolya's two security officers that had accompanied him.

"Why don't you bring me up to speed on your progress, it shouldn't take too long?" Kolya questioned and Teyla watched Ronon bite his tongue against the silent insult. It seemed all the Vernai spoke in code, everything had a hidden meaning and thinking back to what she'd just said, she was no different.

"Teyla has learnt to control the cloud it's just a matter of her controlling it for extended periods of time, the mental battle is exhausting," Ronon summarised and it seemed he intended to leave it there.

"Have you had any luck finding another way to track the cloud?" Kolya questioned trying to get more information.

"No," was Ronon's only reply and Kolya appeared to be getting irritated as Ronon continued to be purposely vague.

"So you're just flying blind?" Kolya continued.

"Yeah," Ronon answered as they came to a stop in front of a door. "Your quarters aboard my ship, as requested."

"Thank you," Kolya said as he walked through the door and left the two alone in the corridor. They quickly began to walk back in the direction they'd come, in some unconscious effort to put some distance between themselves and Kolya.

"I don't see why we couldn't just tell him to keep his oversized ass on his own ship," Teyla said as they headed toward her quarters on the opposite side of the ship from Kolya's. An arrangement she was fairly sure Ronon had made on purpose.

"Teyla," Ronon warned though she could tell her comment had amused him. "If another commander requests to stay on your ship for whatever length of time, they can't be denied. That's why Kolya couldn't kick me off his ship when we were there a few months ago… and stop antagonising him."

"I'm not doing it on purpose," she replied.

"And please don't call him oversized to his face, I don't think he'd find it funny and he's not really even over weight," Ronon instructed her and Teyla smiled.

"I'm sure I can be a little more subtle when insulting him to his face," she stated and Ronon shook his head.

"I have reports to do, I'll see you later," he said as he turned to walk down a different corridor and Teyla continued toward her quarters.

TBC


	33. Chapter 33

**Jammeke – **I'm glad you liked the scene between John and Elizabeth though things aren't as happy for them in this chapter. Kolya really is a great bad guy, I love using him in my AU's, thanks for the review.

**Steph – **Thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you enjoy this one.

* * *

Chapter 33

It had been several days since Kolya's arrival and the commander had already taken to following Teyla around. It was more obvious than ever how much he wanted to get his hands on her and she was determined to make sure that didn't happen. She and Ronon had spent their nights separately since he had arrived. Their nightly meetings had proved to be harder to give up than she'd thought they would be.

She was just picking up her gym bag after her sparing session with Ronon, it was the most physical contact she got to have with him and she revelled in it. Teyla however was expected in the infirmary for some scans. The doctor wanted to find out if her mental connection to the cloud was having any side effects. It wasn't as though he particularly cared if Teyla was suffering but firstly, he was a doctor and secondly, he was a curious doctor.

"Damn it, I'm already late," Teyla stated when she saw the time "I'm not even gonna have time for a shower," she added resisting the urge to make a face at the thought. She'd have to go to the appointment sweaty, if Dr Greaves didn't like it he'd just have to get over it.

"You'd better hurry then," Ronon told her with a smile; it was well known that Dr Greaves was far from the nicest and most patient doctor. Ronon reached for the strap of her gym bag and pulled it off her shoulder, his hand brushed along the skin of her arm as he took it. "I'll take this to your room for you."

"You sure?" she questioned.

"Yeah, it's on the way to mine anyway," he told her and she smiled gratefully.

"What would I do without you?" she questioned humorously.

"Get in more trouble than you already do, now go," he instructed clearly trying not to look as amused as he was. Teyla smiled again and the two parted ways heading in opposite directions. Once they were gone Kolya stepped out from the corner he had been hiding behind.

"Well that was interesting," he said to himself having witnessed their entire exchange "Very interesting."

* * *

"I dare you to say that again," Teyla challenged Kolya, normally without Ronon there she would be a little more reserved around the commander but she was already in a bad enough mood.

"I suspect you had something to do with the attempt on Commander Kale's life, perhaps you're working with the Alliance," Kolya repeated his exact words and Teyla had to restrain herself from hitting the man. The last person who had accused her of exactly that hadn't come out of it so well but he'd been a cocky Colonel not a Vernai Commander, so this time she kept her fists to herself.

"Understand this, I do not work for the Alliance," she told him venomously before turning and walking away. She headed immediately for her quarters and practically tossed herself onto her bed in frustration.

Kolya had only been here for a week and he was already driving her insane. She'd had more than enough of him the first day he'd arrived and he was slowly driving her into doing something she'd probably regret. She quickly got bored of staring at her ceiling and sat up. She was way too wired to read or to sleep despite the fact that it was getting late.

She stood up abruptly and walked out of her quarters, she didn't even know where she was going until she got there. She pressed the small button beside the door and waited the few seconds it took for them to slide open. Ronon looked surprised to see her standing there but she didn't give him time to question or protest her presence.

If she'd thought about it she would have realised her actions were rather risky but she was developing a knack for getting herself in trouble. She crushed her lips against his as her arms went around his neck. She could tell she had once again surprised him in the way he hesitated before kissing her back. His reluctance only lasted a second though before his arms went around her and he pulled her backwards into his quarters.

A moment later her back slammed into the wall as a weeks worth of frustration began venting itself. His tongue demanded entry and she willingly granted it as her hands removed his top. They parted only long enough for her to remove his shirt and him to remove hers.

His hands went to her thighs encouraging her to wrap them around his waist. She did so and he carried her across the room dropping her onto the bed and landing on top of her. His body grinding into hers only served to increase her urgency; it was frightening how much she needed this.

* * *

John resisted the urge to sigh knowing that it would probably do more harm than good. He also knew that the entire ship could probably hear them at that moment and he was surprised no one had come to investigate, however this was becoming a frequent occurrence now.

"Elizabeth, everyone's exhausted, we need a break, just for a day," he told her but she still wasn't letting up.

"And if the cloud decides to attack whilst we're all taking a break then thousands of people are going to die," she shouted. This was the sixth time in the last week they'd argued over something and it was always her who started it. It seemed as though she was just looking for reasons to argue with him.

"I get that but if we're all too exhausted then we'll be no good to anybody. You know how much using your power takes out of you. If you don't take a break then you're not going to be able to help anyone," he replied raising his voice only slightly but that seemed to be the wrong thing to say.

"You think the only way I can help people is by using my powers?" she questioned bitterly and John finally raised his voice to meet hers.

"Stop twisting everything I'm saying," he shouted angrily "You know that's not what I mean. Now we're going to be stopping on Vralis tomorrow morning and we'll be staying there all day, end of discussion." He finished before turning and walking out of the eating area toward the bridge.

He kicked one of the control stations in frustration before taking a deep breath to calm himself. He knew he shouldn't have shouted but the endless arguing was starting to drive him insane. Ever since he'd kissed her they'd been fighting and it was really beginning to frustrate him.

Marcus walked onto the bridge a moment later and glanced at the control station he'd kicked, probably checking it for damage. He sat down in one of the empty chairs and turned to look at John silently. "You're gonna have to do something," he finally stated.

"I know," John replied sharply still fuming from the argument.

"I'm serious, you can't go on like this, it driving the rest of us mad never mind you two," Marcus continued.

"You think I wanna fight with her every single day, she keeps finding a reason to start an argument and no matter what she has to turns it into a shouting match," John stated in exasperation. They were all wound way too tight; they'd been stuck onboard the ship for over a week and hadn't had a break in over a month. Their stop tomorrow would do them all some good, especially Elizabeth, if she stopped being difficult for ten seconds.

"You need to sit down and talk to her and stop rising to the bait, for whatever reason she wants you to get mad at her and you keep falling for it," Marcus told him and John nodded slowly as realisation hit him. Their pointless arguments didn't seem so pointless anymore, at least for her they weren't pointless, there was a reason why she was causing them and suddenly that reason couldn't be clearer.

"I'll talk to her tomorrow when we've both had a chance to calm down," he said as he stood up and left the bridge.

* * *

Vralis was a beautiful planet, it had two suns and the weather was always beautiful. It generally only rained at night which left the days warm and sunny. John moved through the market place, first things first they had to get some supplies. Laura was with Carson getting medical supplies, Marcus was taking Rodney to get his technical stuff and John had dragged Elizabeth off the ship to get food.

They'd managed to get some good deals and everything was being charged to the Alliance so they felt no guilt whatsoever about buying more than was necessary. They arrived back at the ship and had the transport service they'd hired load up all of their newly acquired food into the cargo bay. Marcus and Rodney were already there helping to carry the last of their own shopping aboard. Well, Marcus was helping, Rodney was just telling everyone to be careful with his stuff.

Laura and Carson returned carrying all of their medical supplies themselves since there wasn't as much of it. It was just after midday when they finally had everything loaded up in the cargo bay.

"The rest of the day is yours to do with as you please," John informed them and Marcus stepped up and clapped his arm over John's shoulder.

"Alright, I saw a particularly great bar in this direction," Marcus informed him guiding John in the direction he'd gestured. He grabbed the sleeve of Carson's jacket with his free hand and pulled the doctor along with them. "Come on Rodney," Marcus shouted and the four men headed off into the crowd leaving Elizabeth and Laura alone.

"I guess that means we get to go shopping," the blonde stated as she linked arms with Elizabeth.

Elizabeth for her part was in no mood to shop but there was no sense taking it out on Laura. She followed the blonde around from stall to stall as Laura bought herself some new clothes and for some reason new weapons as well. Elizabeth only bought the occasional thing to stop Laura from nagging her.

The afternoon passed quickly and Elizabeth and Laura found themselves outside the doors to one of the local bars having dropped off their shopping at the ship. "Marcus was telling me about this place earlier so I'm guessing this is where he dragged the boys to," Laura stated as she pushed the doors open.

The bar was fairly large and surprisingly clean, the tables were almost all full of men with a few women scattered around as well. The bar ran along one entire wall and at the opposite side was a stage where half naked women were dancing. The vast majority of the bar's patrons seemed to be drunk and they had to push away a few roaming appendages as they made their way through the room.

"I hope they're not all drunk," Elizabeth stated knowing the men had been in here all afternoon.

"Don't worry, Carson, John and Marcus aren't stupid enough to get drunk whilst on a mission, however Rodney is another story," Laura informed her as they spotted their friends sitting at the bar. Marcus, John and Carson all had drinks in front of them but seemed to be sober. Rodney however was stood to the side of them swaying slightly.

"Rodney sit back down before you hurt yourself," they heard John say as they approached. Marcus and Carson were happily turned around in their seats watching the show on the stage behind them. Laura smacked Carson over the back of the head as she moved to stand between him and Marcus.

"Eyes front you," she ordered him and Elizabeth heard John and Marcus smirk as Carson was forced to turn around.

"Take it you had fun shopping," John commented with a quick glance at Elizabeth, he saw no reason to aggravate her in public.

"Oh we had a blast," Laura stated "Shopping is so much more fun when you're charging everything to the Alliance."

"Tell me you didn't" John said, the Alliance account they'd been given access to was only to be used for stuff relating to the mission, not a clothes shopping spree.

"Of course I didn't," Laura replied "I only charged a few of the weapons I bought to them.

Elizabeth watched the exchange determined not to show her amusement when John dropped his forehead against the top of the bar. Laura just smiled innocently and ordered herself and Elizabeth a drink. An hour later and Elizabeth had barely touched it and she didn't fail to notice that John had barely touched his since her arrival either.

Rodney stood up from his bar stool again; he was even more drunk than when she'd got there an hour ago. He promptly fell on his ass and just sat there on the floor probably wondering why.

"Okay," John said as he stood up and pulled Rodney off the floor by his arm.

"Don't you man handle me," Rodney said shrugging him off.

"I think we ought to get you back to the ship," John told him and Rodney looked like someone had just told he should suck on a lemon.

"I don't want to," Rodney protested and tried to step back away from John only to trip over the leg of the bar stool he'd previously been sitting on.

"I know you don't want to," John said as he once again pulled his friend off the floor.

"I can handle my drink thank you," Rodney slurred.

"I know you can," John placated "But there are some things on the ship that need to be fixed."

"Oh and as usual you want me to do it," Rodney complained as John guided him toward the exit.

"We'll meet you back at the ship," Marcus called and Elizabeth decided to follow John and Rodney. They made it out of the bar and John quickly had to pull Rodney out of the way of the pole he was about to walk into. They made their way through the streets and when John turned left Rodney tried to keep going forward.

"This way Rodney," John instructed patiently as he tugged Rodney in the right direction. Elizabeth followed a few steps behind them the entire way and when they got back to the ship she went immediately to her room and collapsed onto her bed. She was tired and she'd really had enough of everything now, she just wanted it to be over. Maybe John had been right and the last couple of months stuck on this ship, going from one cloud attack to the next, was taking its toll on them all.

Taking a day off from it, even though she'd refused to enjoy it had done her some good. She just hoped it had done the others good as well though she was sure Rodney was going to have a killer headache tomorrow morning. She wasn't looking forward to that, Rodney could be irritable on a good day and she dreaded to think what he would be like with a hangover.

TBC


	34. Chapter 34

**Steph – **Thanks for the review, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

Chapter 34

The others had returned to the ship an hour ago and they had left Vralis behind. John had flown them into space since, except for Elizabeth; he was the only completely sober person in the bunch. Marcus and Laura had stumbled onto the ship with a relatively though not completely sober Carson following closely behind.

They had all gone to their rooms to sleep off their drunkenness and he knew there would be headaches in the morning. With the ship on course and its crew asleep John headed to Elizabeth's room to have the talk he'd been putting off. He finally understood, or at least he thought he did, why Elizabeth was trying to make him mad at her and it was an issue he intended to resolve.

He knocked on the door and she answered within a few minutes, she didn't react when she saw him standing there so he simply walked past her into her room. It was dark, only the light from the lamps beside her bed and on the table beside the chair she used to read illuminated the room. "We need to talk," he stated and she followed him into the room. Instead of moving over to where he was standing she walked over to the window at the side of her room that looked out into space.

"I'm not going to leave you," he said after several moments of silence and when he saw her whole body tense he knew he'd been right. "I know that's why you keep starting arguments with me, why you keep trying to push me away."

"You don't know," Elizabeth whispered and had the room not been as silent as it was he wouldn't have heard her.

"I know that the two people you loved left you. Tenal was the closest thing you had to a father and he died and Teyla was like your sister and she's now working for your enemy, trying to kill you. I know you think that if you get too close to me I'll leave you as well," he told her as he took a few steps toward her until he was standing right behind her, barely an inch of space between them. "I'm not going anywhere," he whispered and she finally turned around to face him.

She wrapped her arms around his neck as she buried her face in his shoulder. His own arms moved around her automatically holding her tightly against him as if to prove to her he wasn't going to leave her. She clung to him with a need and desperation that made John's heart ache for her, she didn't deserve any of the crap she'd been through.

His own emotions were more obvious to him in that moment that they had ever been before. He had never been the type to let emotions make his decisions for him, he kept them relatively suppressed and hidden even from himself. She seemed to bring them out in him without even trying and the depth of what he felt for her scared him. He wasn't entirely ready to admit it to himself and he didn't think she was in a place where she was ready to hear it so he brushed those thoughts away.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly as she moved her face into his neck.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," he told her just as quietly.

"I was horrible to you," she protested.

"But I understand why," he said as he pulled back so he could see her face. She looked like she was about to offer further protest but John cut it off. He kissed her, softly at first and it didn't take her long to respond. It quickly became more passionate as Elizabeth sneaked her hand underneath his top. That was all the sign John needed of what she wanted and he manoeuvred them over to the bed.

* * *

The constant headache was becoming a great source of irritation for her now. Elizabeth took the pain killers Carson had given her, they never did any good but it never hurt to try. She stared out of the window in her bedroom; it had been almost two weeks since they'd last seen the cloud. There'd been no sign of it on sensors and it was making Elizabeth more nervous than if it was showing up, where the hell was it?

On the plus side, it wasn't attacking anyone so there had been no lives lost to it for two weeks now. She could still feel it in the back of her mind, its cold presence and of course the ever present headache it caused.

It was then that a thought struck her and it seemed so obvious now that she wondered why she hadn't thought of it before. She left her room heading immediately for the commotion she could hear in the kitchen. As she expected everyone was there as Carson cooked dinner which seemed to have become part of his job. The others were all sitting at the table arguing about something.

"I know why the cloud hasn't attacked," she stated and everyone stopped what they were doing to look at her.

"What?" Rodney finally asked.

"I know why the cloud seems to have disappeared," she said and everyone continued to watch her expectantly. "It doesn't know what to do."

"What do you mean it doesn't know what to do?" Rodney questioned "It's been doing a fine job until now."

"But it never had the Electus telling it to do two different things," she informed them "I can feel it in my head all the time, the more I tap into my powers the more it becomes settled in the back of my mind. It's like the connection is open all the time now but I don't think the cloud has the ability to use that connection when I'm so far away. Maybe _I_ do though," she explained but they all still looked uncertain.

"Elizabeth, I don't think…" Rodney began and Elizabeth knew he was about to dismiss her idea but somehow she knew she was right.

"No, just listen. If the cloud is always there; if it's always in the back of my mind then it's possible that I've been controlling it subconsciously. That I've been sending it instructions not to attack other planets and the more I've learned to use my powers the more the cloud has been forced to listen. Now, it stands to reason that if I can do it so can Teyla. If she's unconsciously telling it to attack and I'm telling it to do the opposite then it wouldn't know which instruction to obey."

"Actually that kind of makes sense," Rodney admitted "In a strange, twisted kinda way."

Elizabeth sat down in the chair next to John as Rodney seemed to turn the idea over in his head. She was right, she didn't know how she knew but somehow she was sure that she was right. The cloud couldn't control her over a long distance but she could control the cloud and so could Teyla.

"So that's why we haven't seen or heard a thing of it for almost two weeks?" John questioned and Elizabeth nodded.

"I doubt it'll last though, the clouds learning to block us, that's why it getting harder to control it, not easier. As we learn so does the cloud, it doesn't want to be controlled not by us and not by the Vernai. Eventually it will learn to block the unconscious signals we're sending it and it'll continue to attack randomly," Elizabeth explained as John moved to rest his arm on the back of her chair.

"So, what does that mean, what do we do?" Marcus questioned and Elizabeth sighed and shook her head.

"I don't know, without Teyla it can't be destroyed and I'll never be able to fully control it. I'll keep learning and so will the cloud and Teyla, we'll probably be stuck in this never ending battle for the rest of our lives and then when we're gone, the cloud will continue on," Elizabeth stated solemnly, she'd had way too much time to think about all of this recently and what she came up with was a rather depressing outlook.

"Dinners ready," Carson stated breaking up the sombre moment and everyone moved to get their food.

* * *

"Did you think I wouldn't find out?" the Admiral questioned angrily unaware that Teyla was also in the room. She was standing to the side out of the way while the Admiral berated Ronon. They'd been sitting in his office talking about the cloud attacks or lack thereof when the call from the Admiral came in. Teyla had been about to leave Ronon in privacy but he'd simply told her to stand to the side where the Admiral couldn't see her. Part of her wished she'd just left because she really didn't want to listen to this.

She didn't even know how the Admiral had found out but the name 'Kolya' kept springing to mind. This was the first time she had ever seen the Admiral and she understood why the commanders feared him. She was sure he wanted to be there to tear Ronon up in person but she figured his anger was carrying through the screen plenty.

She was kind of glad this conversation was happening in his office and not on the bridge in full view of the crew. She stood there quietly and watched Ronon's face as he listened to the Admiral go on. His expression was unreadable, the stoic commander was there at the moment and she found herself hoping he didn't stay that way permanently. Not that it would make a difference to her, not if the Admiral did what Teyla knew he was going to do.

Ronon for his part decided that silence would be the best option right now, let the admiral yell at him and await the inevitable. He resisted the urge to glance at Teyla; it would only inform the Admiral that someone else was in the room. He was going to kill Kolya, he was absolutely positive it was him who was behind this. How the Commander had found out was a mystery, he'd only slept with Teyla twice in the time Kolya had been on board and both times they'd been careful to ensure they weren't caught.

Well that wasn't technically true, the first time they'd been far too careless but Ronon had made sure the next day that they hadn't been seen. The second time they'd been far more cautious and that had been a few days ago now. Kolya had given absolutely no indication that he knew or even suspected anything, normally the arrogant commander would have been rubbing it in their faces but he'd played this one well. He probably knew that Ronon would have killed him; he already got the impulse to kill Kolya whenever the commander was around. All he needed was a good enough reason.

"I assigned you to train the Electus not bed her," the Admiral continued. "I will not allow this to continue, your relationship with her could be detrimental to us and I will not see all our progress ruined because you two end up in a lovers spat."

The Admiral paused and both Ronon and Teyla knew what was coming next, it didn't make it any easier to hear.

"This relationship is to cease immediately and you are to hand over custody of Teyla Emmagan to Commander Kolya."

TBC


	35. Chapter 35

**AthosionWarrior – **I don't like being evil... much lol. I am sorry for making you wait for this update though. I'm glad you're enjoying the story, thanks for the review.

**Jammeke – **John and Elizabeth really are cute, I'm glad you liked the explanation for Elizabeth's behaviour and her theory on the cloud. As for Teyla working with Kolya now, well you'll see, thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

Chapter 35

Teyla walked through the corridor of Ronon's ship toward her quarters, today was the last day she would be spending aboard this ship. Kolya was having her transferred over to his ship. She wouldn't be surprised if she ended up back in her cell and she had no intention of making this easy for Kolya.

She hadn't seen Ronon since the Admiral's call yesterday. He'd been forbidden from even seeing or talking to Teyla ever again. She'd probably seen Ronon for the last time and the thought hurt a surprisingly large amount. She ignored it as she approached her quarters ready to pack up all of her belongings.

"Emmagan," an annoyingly familiar voice called and she turned around to see Kolya heading in her direction.

"What do you want?" she questioned, her tone was more subdued now but she made sure he'd hear the undertone of disgust.

"Just checking up on my latest acquisition," he stated and she resisted the urge to hit him. She would no longer have Ronon there to protect her when she did something stupid. There was no doubt in her mind that when she was on his ship he would not be as kind to her as Ronon had been. There was no sense in antagonising him too much, she was just going to have to get used to how Kolya did things.

"I have to pack," she told him before turning around and heading to her quarters. She picked up the suitcase she'd been given to pack her things into and dropped it on her bed. Now that she actually had to do it the task seemed harder. She didn't want to do this; she didn't want to go with Kolya, not least because he was an ass. She still had several hours; they weren't leaving until later that night. She guessed Kolya wanted more time to taunt Ronon, she really hoped he antagonised Ronon into murdering him.

She moved to sit on the chair in the corner of her room and picked up the book she'd been reading for the last few days. Ronon had got it for her last week when she finished all of her other ones. She doubted Kolya would get her anymore when she finished this one, if she was even allowed to keep it.

* * *

Elizabeth sat at the table listening to Rodney babble on about something. He was using so much technical jargon that he'd lost her somewhere in his first sentence and now she was just nodding her head where she felt it was appropriate. Carson and Laura were in the kitchen as Carson attempted to teach his wife how to cook without burning the food, it probably wouldn't last.

Marcus and John walked into the room and Marcus took a look at Laura who was standing in the kitchen with a knife in hand and food in front of her. His face fell "Please tell me she isn't cooking dinner."

"If you're gonna complain you can get in here and do it yourself," Laura replied waving the knife in her hand around and Carson had to throw his head back to prevent getting hit by it.

"Laura love," he began as he grabbed her hand and moved it back down to the vegetables she was supposed to be chopping. "The only thing I need you to cut is these."

Laura gave him a minor glare before going back to chopping the food in front of her. Marcus moved to sit at the table where he was a safe distance from Laura and less likely to lose an appendage. John took up the chair next to Elizabeth and made quick work of shutting Rodney up with a simple 'stop talking McKay' for which Elizabeth was immensely grateful.

Just as the group sat down there was an annoying beeping coming from Rodney and they had all learned to recognise what it was. The scientist picked up the device from his belt as he stood up and headed through to the bridge. John, Elizabeth and Marcus followed and she vaguely heard Carson stopping Laura.

"You're helping me;" he informed her "This is why you burn every meal you try to cook."

Elizabeth smiled and shook her head as she walked through to the bridge. Rodney was already in the chair at sensors when she walked in and John was in the pilot's seat. "We're detecting a discrepancy," Rodney told them unnecessarily. "There's an Alliance planet not far away, Caladen."

"That's less than two days away," John stated as he quickly altered their course.

"Well, it was nice while it lasted," Marcus said as he turned and left the bridge followed closely by Rodney.

"You ready for this again?" John questioned as he stood up and took a few steps toward her.

"Do I ever have a choice?" she returned and smiled slightly. "I feel better now than I have done in a while. I haven't had to mentally fight the cloud for over two weeks, I'll be fine."

"Yes you will," John replied as he stepped forward and kissed her, she responded happily.

"Will you two quit making out on the bridge get down here," they heard Marcus shout and Elizabeth smiled against his lips. Things really didn't seem so bad right now and whilst she knew it was going to last about as long as Laura's marginally improved cooking skills, things didn't seem so bleak.

"Come on," John said after a moment "Let's go see what damage Laura has done to Carson and the kitchen in our brief absence."

John took her hand and they walked back into the kitchen. Marcus it seemed had made the mistake of insulting Laura at a close distance. She was now pointing the rather large knife at him and it was dangerously close to his face. Marcus's eyes followed the waving implement fearfully as she yelled at him.

"Cooking is not my strong suit alright but if I hear one more comment from you about my lack of talent I'll be putting my new chopping skills to so some use," she told him with a meaningful glance at Marcus's lower body and Marcus stepped away from her and retreated to the relative safety of the table.

Carson was stood behind Laura looking somewhere between amused and dismayed. John wondered if he'd only just realised he'd married a loon, he kept the comment to himself though since Laura still had the large knife in her hand. Elizabeth was clearly resisting the urge to laugh and he figured only females could find the threat of men losing vital parts of their anatomy funny.

He decided to stay near the table with Rodney and Marcus while Elizabeth walked over to the kitchen counter where Laura had just finished chopping stuff and finally relinquished the knife to Carson.

* * *

It was almost time to go; she'd be leaving Ronon's ship in less than half an hour. She took a look around her quarters; there were still a few things that needed packing. She'd gathered more belongings than she'd realised during her stay here. The door chimed and she figured it was Kolya coming to collect her early.

She sighed and walked over to it wishing she could just ignore him and pretend she wasn't here. She pressed the button beside the doors to open them and was shocked to see Ronon standing on the opposite side.

"I need to talk to you," he stated.

"If anyone finds out you're here…" she trailed off and then stepped back to let him into her room. They were more likely to get caught if they were standing out in the corridor. She relaxed a little once the door had swished closed and blocked any prying eyes that might have been about. She knew for a fact that Kolya had been keeping tabs on her all day. "You should make this fast, Kolya will be here for me soon."

"You're taking this well," he said as she continued to pack her things.

"Am I allowed to take it unwell?" she questioned sarcastically, placing the last few items of clothing in her bag and reaching for the last book that needed to be packed.

"I guess not," Ronon replied and there was silence as Teyla zipped up her bag and dropped it by the door. She looked around the room to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything.

"I think that's everything," she stated and silence once again filled the room.

"I don't want you to go," Ronon finally said and Teyla froze for several moments before she turned to look at him.

"What?" was the only semi coherent thing she could muster up; she really had no idea how to respond to that.

"I don't want you to go," he repeated and it seemed to have the effect of bringing Teyla back to her senses.

"Ronon, I don' have a choice. We did something stupid, we got busted and now we're paying the price. Why did you have to come here, why did you have to say that when neither of us can do anything about it?" she questioned angrily. She'd been dealing with this fine until now, until Ronon walked in and said that. It was the closest either of them had ever come to admitting there was more to this, whatever this was, than simply a way to blow off steam.

"It wasn't stupid… maybe a little stupid but I don't regret doing it and I don't want you to go," he admitted and Teyla once again struggled to find her words. She had not been expecting this, hadn't been prepared for it.

"It doesn't matter, there's nothing we can…" she began to argue but he cut her off.

"We can leave," he stated and Teyla was shocked into silence for far longer than she would have liked. She stared at him unsure if he'd actually said what she'd heard and unable to believe he'd mean it.

"Leave, what are you talking about?" she asked.

"We'll just go, my shuttle is in the docking bay, we can take it and just go," he explained.

"We… we can't," Teyla tried to argue.

"Yes we can, this is still my ship and the majority of the crew don't know what's going on yet. We can walk into the docking bay together and most people won't even look twice," he told her and she continued to stare at him.

"You'd be giving up everything, you've worked hard to get where you are and you're just going to give it all up on a whim?" she questioned incredulously.

"This isn't a whim, I've been thinking about this since yesterday. I know what I'm giving up and I know what I want," he said and Teyla found herself still staring at him though the uncertainty she was feeling about this idea was quickly dieing.

She nodded her head before she'd even registered she was doing it "Okay."

Ronon crashed his lips against her own and pushed her back into the wall behind her. The kiss was desperate and passionate but there was something else there this time that hadn't been there before. She decided not to identify what it was, knew it would frighten her if she did so she simply banished all thought from her mind and kissed him back.

"If we're gonna do this we have to do it now," she said as they pulled apart slightly "Kolya will be here for me any minute."

"Then we'd better go," he said moving away from her and grabbing her bag from near the door as they left. They walked down the corridor as quickly as they could without drawing attention to themselves. Teyla kept her eyes open for Kolya who she knew wouldn't be far away. She was more than a little relieved when they arrived at the docking bay.

"Sir," one of the officers acknowledged.

"Teyla and I have a mission; we'll be taking my shuttle. We should be back in a few hours," Ronon informed him and the officer nodded and allowed Ronon and Teyla to pass unhindered. They walked up the ramp at the back of Ronon's personal shuttle and he tossed her bag next to an identical one that was already there. She looked at it curiously for a moment before following him through to the front and taking the co-pilots chair.

"You knew I'd say yes," she said as she sat down and Ronon continued to manipulate the controls in front of him, she heard the sound of the ramp in the back compartment of the ship close and the engine start.

"No, but I hoped," he replied without looking at her and she smiled slightly and leaned back in her chair as the shuttle took off and flew out into space. Ronon wasted no time in engaging the hyperdrive and within seconds they were clear of the two Vernai Command vessels… and Kolya.

TBC


	36. Chapter 36

**Jammeke – **Thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked Laura's cooking lesson and John and Elizabeth are very cute. Hope you enjoy this chapter, the next one is the last.

* * *

Chapter 36

They were heading toward the planet Caladen, Ronon's people had detected the cloud in that area just before they'd made their escape. It would be only a few hours now until they reached the planet. They didn't really know why they were heading there; it just seemed like the thing to do.

"Won't Kolya and the others go there?" she questioned from the co-pilots chair. Ronon threw her a look that she'd already received several times over the last twenty four hours for putting her feet on the edge of the console. She ignored it like she had done every other time he'd given her it.

"They have no idea where've we gone; the shuttle isn't Vernai so they have no way to track it. They'll stay where they are until the rest of the fleet arrives over the next two days and then they'll come looking for us. Meanwhile every single Vernai officer will have received a memo that we are to be arrested. All Vernai controlled planets, space stations and outposts will have received the information as well, they'll be circulating our pictures even as we speak," Ronon explained to her and it made her feel slightly depressed.

"So we can't go anywhere in Vernai territory," she summed up "And if we go anywhere near the Alliance, they'll probably kill us. Things are definitely looking up for us."

"I didn't say this was going to be easy," he stated "But if Kolya had got his hands on you I guarantee things would not have ended well. He doesn't care that you're the Electus, his plans for you would have killed you and after a berating from the Admiral he would have continued on his merry way. He probably would have made it his mission in life to get hold of Elizabeth so he could do it all over again."

"Do I even want to know what his plans for me were?" Teyla questioned.

"No."

"Well on that happy note, I'm going to go and get some sleep before we arrive on Caladen," she said as she stood up and headed into the rear compartment. It was small but it had two beds, not that they used both and some storage space for food and other essentials. She quickly changed into something more comfortable than the tight jeans and t shirt she was wearing and climbed into the nearest bed.

She knew that Ronon had done this for her, to keep her safe and she felt guilty that he'd lost everything because of her. He was now a fugitive on both sides of the war and she had to wonder if she'd done the right thing by agreeing to come with him. If she hadn't he'd still be safe aboard his Vernai ship, well as safe as one could be amongst the Vernai. She had a pretty good idea what Kolya's plans for her had involved and none of them were particularly appealing to her for a number of different reasons.

She also knew her propensity for getting herself in trouble; her current situation was a perfect example. Ronon had always been there to bail her out, except of course when he'd been the source of the trouble. Not only would Kolya have not bailed her out of trouble but she was fairly sure he would have punished her for it even if she did manage to get herself out of it.

She'd been with the Vernai for almost five months now and it felt weird to be leaving it all behind. Corlain seemed like a long time ago, like another life and she realised then that in many ways it was. She'd been a different person back then, naïve and innocent. That girl had died the day she woke up to find herself in a cell aboard a Vernai ship.

* * *

John kept hold of Elizabeth's hand as they worked their way through the streets of the market place. They'd once again arrived too late to save these people and he knew Elizabeth would feel the impact of that before long. The rest of the group were following along close behind in unusual silence. Their show of respect for all of the dead that now littered the streets.

Elizabeth took a sharp breath and buried her face in John shoulder and John knew immediately what she'd seen. One of the bodies, burnt and eaten away beyond recognition, it was small, only a couple of feet tall. A child, no older than two or three years, just another in a long list of the clouds most helpless victims. He tightened his hold on her hand and didn't linger there long.

He was about to suggest they start looking for the survivors when Elizabeth froze. "It's still here," she said quietly. Out of the corner of his eye John saw Rodney start looking around frantically but he kept his attention on Elizabeth.

"Are you sure?" he asked and she nodded her head and closed her eyes for brief moment.

"This way," she stated as she turned and started heading toward the edge of the city.

"Why are we heading toward the cloud?" Rodney questioned "It already attacked, what good will fighting it do?"

Marcus shrugged and followed after the others leaving Rodney no choice but to do the same though he made his dislike of the situation abundantly clear. They were walking for almost ten minutes before they reached the edge of the city. There was a line of trees up ahead and the odd building behind them but there was no sign of the cloud.

"It's not here, let's go," Rodney said quickly but no one moved.

"It knows I'm here," Elizabeth said quietly and the tension in the air was almost tangible.

"How do you know?" Carson asked.

"I can feel it," she stated, the connection between her and the cloud felt stronger than it had ever done before and try as she might she couldn't seem to force her will through it.

All of a sudden the dark mass appeared from amongst the trees, coming out of the trees quickly and heading straight for them over the grassy field. It was a terrifying sight and John and the others all took a step back involuntarily. Elizabeth remained where she was though as it came closer and she focused every bit of her will on to it and raised her hands as if gesturing for it to stop.

It kept coming closer though and all she could do was focus harder, she straightened out her arms and the cloud suddenly stopped. It was only a few feet away, she could almost feel the power radiating from it; it was as though everyone it had killed, every human whose life it had taken had made it stronger. She wouldn't be able to hold it here for long, she knew that much.

"All of you go," she stated.

"What?" John exclaimed "No."

"I can't hold it here forever, you have to leave now," she stated and John was about to protest when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned to see Teyla and Ronon walk out from behind one of the buildings and in a second everyone had raised their guns. Laura, Marcus, John and Rodney were aiming their weapons at Ronon and Teyla and the two of them were aiming their weapons right back at the Alliance.

"You're out numbered," Marcus stated.

"Numbers don't matter," Ronon replied dangerously.

"Lower your weapons," John ordered them but neither member of the Vernai made a move to do so.

"You lower your weapons," Ronon instructed and again no one made a move to comply.

"Guys!" Elizabeth said as she continued to try and hold back the cloud which was quickly becoming more difficult "Can we do this some other time?"

Teyla was the first to lower her weapon as she looked at the dark cloud that loomed in front of them. It was bigger than she had ever seen it and she knew that Elizabeth would not be able to hold it for long and when she failed, everyone here would die.

John lowered his weapon a moment later and eventually everyone else present followed suit. Teyla stepped forward to stand next to Elizabeth and John kept a tight grip on his weapon as he holstered it.

"I will help you destroy it," Teyla said quietly as she added her own power to Elizabeth's to hold it back. With both of them using their power for the same purpose it seemed easier, Elizabeth no longer had to focus solely on holding it there though she knew that once the cloud adjusted to the increase in their power it would continue toward them again.

Elizabeth lowered her hands and turned to Teyla; somehow with both of them there together she knew what she had to do. She looked to John; he wasn't going to like this "We have to go into it."

Teyla took a few steps over to Ronon "I have to do this," she told him when she could see his reluctance to let her go. He nodded his head in silent understanding and she turned around to see Elizabeth talking to John.

"No, it'll kill you," John argued and Elizabeth shook her head.

"Not if we both go in," she told him and she could see he wasn't happy about it. She stepped forward closing the distance between them and put her arms around his neck. His arms automatically went around her waist and he held her tightly as though he thought that would keep her from going. "I have to," she whispered and then pulled back and gave him a quick gentle kiss before nodding to the others and then moving to stand right in front of the cloud.

Teyla moved to stand beside her; it really struck her how much these people cared about her. She'd never had that with the Vernai, other that Ronon they'd all despised her. She shook that line of thinking out if her head, those were thoughts for another time, when she wasn't about to walk into a giant, dark cloud that ate human flesh.

She looked at Elizabeth and reached her hand out; Elizabeth took it knowing it was the only thing that would protect her. They stepped forward together and were immediately consumed by the darkness. She couldn't see anything through the dark that enveloped them.

Elizabeth had to struggle for every step forward, the air was being blasted against them trying to push them not only out but apart and she had to tighten her hold on Teyla's hand. They were running completely on instinct, knowing they weren't yet far enough into the dark mass to be able to destroy it. She felt her hand slip slightly on Teyla's and panic momentarily tried to assert itself. If she lost Teyla's hand even for split second the cloud would have them and they'd look just like all the other bodies out there.

Two more names to add to a list already far too long.

Instinctively she knew she was far enough into the cloud now to be able to do what she had to do. She knew she was right when Teyla stopped at the same time she did and she turned to face her. She reached out for Teyla's other hand and despite the resistance the cloud was putting up Teyla managed to take it.

Teyla closed her eyes and focused on one single thought, on her desire to destroy the cloud and see this whole thing end. Suddenly it felt as though her body were being ripped apart, she could feel the energy being drained from it. She didn't dare to open her eyes, she was terrified of what she would see but instead she kept her mind focused on the one thought; that she wanted to destroy the cloud.

The pain seemed to last forever and she couldn't even understand how she was still standing. Her body had no energy left in it to give but somehow more kept being taken from her. She was sure her body should have been torn to pieces by now but as far as she could tell it was still in one piece. The pain kept increasing until she could no longer hold back the cry of pain she'd been suppressing. Teyla heard her own voice, strained with pain along with Elizabeth's.

Abruptly, the pain stopped and Teyla was thankful for the oblivion that quickly claimed her. She could feel nothing, no pain, she tried to move her body but if it worked she had no idea because she couldn't feel that either. It became harder and harder to cling onto her thoughts and eventually she just let them go and surrendered to the nothingness that was pulling her in.

* * *

John watched as a light began to emerge from the dark mass growing stronger and stronger. He'd lost sight of Elizabeth the moment she'd stepped inside the dark cloud and he couldn't help but be afraid for her. Marcus had moved to stand by his side in a silent show of support and Rodney, Carson and Laura were all stood together with their eyes fixed on the dark mass.

Commander Dex was also stood silently, waiting to see what would happen and John had to wonder why the hell he and Teyla were there. The light continued to grow and John heard two cries coming from inside the cloud. One he knew was Elizabeth and the other obviously Teyla and he had to stop himself from marching in there. The light suddenly flashed so bright he had to cover his eyes and when he opened them the cloud was gone.

Teyla and Elizabeth were stood there several feet away holding hands. They both collapsed almost immediately and John and the rest of the group ran over to them. He could hear the sound of a large ship landing nearby but as he reached Elizabeth he didn't much care.

"The Independence," he vaguely registered Marcus say. He knelt down beside Elizabeth's unmoving form and pulled her against him, he was more afraid in that moment than he had ever been in his life.

TBC


	37. Chapter 37

**Authors Note – Here's the final chapter, it seems strange to be ending this story when I've been writing it for so long. Thank you to those of you who have reviewed and stuck with me through this one, it was a long one lol. The trailer for part two is now on YouTube, the link is on my profile page. **

**Jammeke – **Thanks for you review, I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter and the sparky scenes in it. Last chapter now, I can't believe this story is over but on to part two I guess lol. Thank you for all your reviews!

**Steph – **I'm glad I had you really absorbed, here's next chapter as demanded and I hope you enjoy it, thanks for all your reviews.

* * *

Chapter 37

John sat in the infirmary holding onto Elizabeth hand as he had done for the past forty eight hours. He'd barely left her side and the others hadn't been much different despite them telling him he needed to rest. They were all currently taking their own advice but he doubted it would be long before they were back.

The independence had seen the entire light show from orbit and had landed just a few feet away when it was over. They'd all been immediately brought on board and both Elizabeth and Teyla had been taken to the infirmary. Teyla was still unconscious as well and currently lying in the bed beside Elizabeth's. Commander Dex had been arrested and was now in the cells aboard the ship. Teyla would be joining him when she recovered… if she recovered.

He tightened his hand on Elizabeth's dreading the thought that she might not come through this. He desperately needed her to wake up and be alright and some part of him hoped that Teyla pulled through as well because it would destroy Elizabeth if she pulled through and Teyla didn't.

A noise behind him alerted him to someone's presence and John didn't bother turning around to see who it was. They walked up to stand on the other side of Elizabeth's bed. Carson quickly looked at Elizabeth's vitals before taking her free hand in his own.

"Where's Laura?" John asked quietly.

"Still asleep," Carson replied and John nodded his head silently and then quickly moved his gaze to her hand. He'd imagined it, he had to have done, she wasn't moving, she was still unconscious, but he was sure she'd just tightened her hand around his. Then she did it again and she took a deep breath and John knew he hadn't imagined it and he quickly stood up without letting go of her hand.

"Elizabeth love, can you hear me?" Carson asked as he leaned over her and Elizabeth shifted her head slightly on the pillow as though she was struggling to regain consciousness. "Elizabeth?" Carson questioned again and Elizabeth finally opened her eyes only to close them again against the light.

John felt relief run through him and he smiled as he waited patiently for her to come around properly. She opened her eyes again more slowly and Carson gave her a smile as she seemed to register who he was. "Carson?" she asked dazedly and the doctor nodded.

"Aye love," he replied as he started doing his usual doctor thing, checking her vitals and whatever else doctors did.

"John?" Elizabeth questioned after a moment and John stepped forward so she could see him. He could tell she hadn't quite come around yet, she still looked confused and her eyes looked slightly vacant but she seemed to recognise him immediately because she relaxed once she could see him.

"Hey there," he said as he used his free hand to brush her hair out of her face and she smiled sleepily at him.

"Hey," she responded, her voice was quiet but he couldn't even describe how relieved he felt to hear it. Carson finished his fussing and helped Elizabeth to drink the glass of water he gave her.

"I'm going to let the others know she's awake," Carson stated and then left John and Elizabeth alone. A few more seconds and Elizabeth seemed to get a firmer grasp on consciousness. "Is Teyla alright?" she asked.

"She hasn't woken up yet," he told her as he moved to sit on the edge of her bed keeping hold of her hand.

"Did we do it?" she questioned after a moment and John smiled as he smoothed her hair back affectionately.

"Yeah you did, the cloud was destroyed," he informed her and she nodded her head. He saw relief flood through her on a similar level to what he was feeling.

"So it's over, it's done," she whispered more to herself than to him "How long was I unconscious?"

"Two days, we're on the Independence on our way back to Atlantis. Marcus and the others are all safely on board and the Venture is currently docked with this ship. We should be home in a few days," he explained keeping it short and simple. He didn't want to overload her brain just yet. "You had me scared," he told her and she smiled slightly.

"I had me scared too," she replied and he shook his head and returned her smile as he leaned down and kissed her briefly before sitting back up in time for Marcus to walk in.

"Hey, it's good to see you finally awake, sleeping on the job while the rest of us are doing paper the work is just unacceptable," Marcus stated as he walked around to the other side of the bed and Elizabeth smiled when she saw him. "How are you feeling?"

"Lousy," she replied as Marcus quickly kissed her cheek.

A moment later Laura, Rodney and Carson walked in "It's good to have you back with us," Rodney said as he moved to stand beside Marcus.

"Finally, we can go shopping," Laura said as she and Carson stood next to John.

"Just give me five minutes to change and I'll be right with you," Elizabeth replied and everyone laughed, clearly she was going nowhere anytime soon. After several minutes of talking Elizabeth started to look a little overwhelmed so Carson ordered everyone to leave. He looked at John as if deciding whether or not he was going to kick him out as well. Much to John's relief the doctor merely picked up the data pad that was attached to the end of Elizabeth's bed and headed over to the desk with it.

"You need to sleep," John told her and she shook her head.

"I've done enough of that," she protested not all too eager to do any more of it just yet.

"Coma and sleep are not the same thing," he informed her.

"They feel the same to me," she said and John could hear the small amount of fear in her voice. The first time he time he was in a coma, thankfully it had only been for a few days, he'd woken up and stubbornly clung to consciousness until the doctor had sedated him. After waking up only to realise he'd been unconscious for days the thought of going back to sleep again had been a scary one.

He knew Carson would probably lecture him for it later but he moved further onto the bed and lay down behind her. He placed one arm just beneath the pillow where she quickly rested her head and wrapped the other around her waist pulling her back against him.

"Go to sleep," he whispered quietly and after a deep breath she did as instructed. It felt almost like the first night that he had kissed her, when he had simply laid down beside her as she slept. He hadn't realised how tired he was until that moment and knowing that Elizabeth was okay, he allowed himself to sleep properly for the first time in over two days.

* * *

She could hear noises but couldn't distinguish between them, couldn't figure out what any of them were. When she finally opened her eyes she was met by the sight of an unfamiliar ceiling, a face moved into view and her foggy mind vaguely recognised it. It took her longer still to register that she was obviously in an infirmary and then her mind remembered the face, she'd seen it shortly before everything had gone dark, one of the people Elizabeth had been travelling with.

"I'm Doctor Beckett, do you understand me?" he asked and Teyla somehow figured out how to get her brain to communicate with her body, she nodded her head and opened her mouth to speak only for her voice to come out strained and weak.

"Yes," she managed to say and the man nodded reaching for a glass of water and helping her to drink it. When she spoke again it was with a little more strength. "Where am I?"

"Alliance vessel, the infirmary," he stated and Teyla decided that would explain the hateful looks she was getting from the few people that were hovering around.

"Where's Ronon?" she questioned.

"In the cells."

Teyla could only nod her head in understanding, they were both considered traitors to the Alliance; she couldn't expect anything different. "Elizabeth?" she questioned.

"Woke up a few hours ago, she's sleeping peacefully now," the doctor told her before he deemed her to be out of danger and walked away. She looked around the room. Ignoring the stares she was receiving and her eyes fell on Elizabeth. She was asleep in the next bed, the agent that seemed to be her constant companion was asleep with her, laid down behind her with his arms wrapped tightly around her.

There was something about the scene that struck a cord with her, she'd seen them on the planet before she and Elizabeth had walked into the cloud. He really cared for her and he wasn't in any way afraid to show it. Elizabeth had a life here; she had friends who cared for her and someone who loved her. She didn't have that, she had Ronon but there relationship was more complicated than anything else. For the first time since this had begun she felt a touch of envy for the woman who had been her sister.

* * *

When John woke up the next morning he saw Teyla had finally woken up. She looked as tired as Elizabeth had yesterday and he guessed it wouldn't be long before she went back to sleep again. Elizabeth was still asleep next to him and he didn't want to wake her up so he stayed where he was.

Carson was still wondering around and he wondered if the doctor had even left. He felt Elizabeth shift beside him and knew that she too was awake now so he allowed himself to move into a more comfortable position. "Teyla," Elizabeth said realising the woman was awake and Teyla gave her a small smile in response. It seemed something of the way they used to be, of the bond they'd once shared, had survived the last five months.

"Oh, you two are awake then," Carson said as he came over "John, do I even need to tell you?" the doctor asked.

"Don't sleep on the patient's bed, got it," John replied and Elizabeth smiled as she turned over onto her back and John pulled his arm free.

"You're looking much better this morning," Carson told her and Elizabeth nodded.

"I feel better."

"Good, I had Laura bring you a change of clothes, she told me to tell you the two of you desperately needed to go shopping and you're not allowed to choose your own stuff," Carson informed her and Elizabeth gasped in fake shock and hurt. "There's a bathroom just through there, if you need help just ask one of the nurses."

"Okay," Elizabeth said as she pushed herself into a sitting position.

"I'm gonna go and get cleaned up too. I'll be back in about an hour," John told her as he jumped down from the bed and pulled on the boots he'd discarded during the night. He kissed Elizabeth quickly before he left the room well aware of Teyla watching them.

He went back to the room he'd been given aboard the Independence; he'd hardly been in here at all over the past few days. He located some fresh clothes and showered and changed before heading to the cafeteria to eat. He didn't linger there for long, he had one more thing he needed to do before he went back to the infirmary.

He walked into the cells aboard the Independence to find Ronon sitting on the bed in his cell. He looked up when he heard John approach and slowly stood up to walk over to bars.

"I just though you'd want to know," John began "Teyla's awake and she's gonna be fine."

John saw the relief that the other man tried to hide, he knew there was more to his relationship with Teyla than simply a commander and teacher. "Why are you telling me?" Ronon asked genuinely surprised that John had taken the time to bother.

He was doing it because he knew that had their roles been reversed and he'd ended up stuck in a cell whilst Elizabeth fought for her life, he would have wanted to know. He would have needed to know that she was okay and not knowing would have driven him mad. "Because we both care," was the only response John gave, cryptic yet accurate and John walked out of the cells and back to the infirmary.

* * *

The Independence had returned to Earth a few days ago, Elizabeth and Teyla had both fully recovered. Rodney was glad to be back in the relative safety of his lab though it was obvious he missed all the action just a little bit. They'd all been given a week off and John intended to enjoy every minute of it. It was the most time he'd ever had free in his life.

Ronon and Teyla had been arrested for treason, a crime punishable by death. However since they had both helped in the destruction of the dark cloud the Alliance had shown a little leniency and neither had been sentenced to death. They had however been given life in prison and were both now in separate jails on Atlantis.

Life was slowly settling into some element of normalcy and for that John was grateful because he knew that was what Elizabeth needed right now.

They were all enjoying an afternoon at the beach; Elizabeth and Laura were currently floating around in the water. Marcus had just destroyed the sand castle Rodney had been building and was now making a beeline for the water with Rodney in pursuit. Carson was making his way over to where Elizabeth and Laura were floating away and John thought for a moment that maybe they were floating too far out.

He stood up from where he'd been lounging on the beach and walked across the sand to the water. They had the beach entirely to themselves which was a welcome surprise but then this was a relatively quiet area of the coast anyway. He walked straight into the water and when he was far enough he dived in. The water wasn't freezing but it wasn't warm either and it took his body a moment to get used to it. He swam over to Elizabeth who was further out than he'd realised she was.

She smiled as he approached and immediately wrapped her arms loosely around his neck as his hands went to her waist.

"Enjoying yourself?" he asked and she smiled brightly.

"Yeah, I really am," she replied as she leaned forward and kissed him deeply.

"Oh please," they heard Laura say but they ignored her and only vaguely registered her and Carson swimming away and leaving them their privacy. John finally broke off the kiss and leaned his forehead against Elizabeth's as they heard Rodney complain about having his head dunked under water.

* * *

The Alliance Council sat around the semi circular table in the large room. Their voices echoed slightly off the bare walls.

"The cloud was destroyed as the prophesy stated."

"Though the journey was not as we expected."

The councillors stared at the hologram in front of them, the text scrolled by repeatedly and they read it every single time.

"We did not see that Emmagan would join the Vernai."

"We cannot afford to be so ignorant again."

They continued to read the text as it passed by, they would not be caught unawares again.

"We only know one thing for sure."

"It is far from over."

THE END.

**Authors Note – Once again thank you to my reviewers, you guys are awesome and don't forget to check out the trailer for part two on my profile page. Part two should be up soon!**


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